community. As a result, the communities around key industries have not necessarily been uplifted by these activities. One stakeholder in Dar es Salaam summed stakeholders’ opinion about the mining sector, by saying: “The mining sector is the cause of poverty (in the communities where the mines are). Almost nothing is ploughed back into the society. We all know how Johannesburg developed. Where are the mining cities in Tanzania?” 767. As a means of encouraging CSR good practice, the Ministry of Energy and Minerals - in collaboration with the Mining Inter Stakeholders Forum (MISF) - launched the Extractive Industries Corporate Social Responsibility Presidential Award in March 2012. The CRM was informed that the first award ceremony will take place in November 2012 and will have six categories, namely: environmental conservation and protection, education contributions and training, health services, and community well-being, skills development, transparency and community safety. It is hoped that the Award will give companies in the extractive sector an incentive to employ relevant and meaningful corporate social responsibility plans and empower local Tanzanians. In the absence of a deliberate policy in this area, the Awards may serve to steer CSR activities to become more responsive and relevant. In line with, the “Africa Mining Vision” whether voluntary or legislated, corporate social responsibility should be firmly entrenched in a national policy framework, clearly defining the responsibilities of the mining companies and government. Environmental Sustainability 768. Overall, the CRM established that the environmental sustainability record of companies operating in Tanzania is not very good. In Bukoba, for instance, stakeholders were very concerned about the effects of radiation from telecommunications towers and voiced their disappointment in the telecommunications companies for failing to communicate honestly and inform the local community about potential hazards. In the same town, the residents did not know who was responsible for environmental management and whether rehabilitation was the responsibility of Government or the investor. In Songea, the CRM learnt that the local residents were not aware about the exploration of uranium and were completely oblivious to the potentially devastating effects of this toxic metal on their lives and environment. 769. Local authorities too confessed their lack of technical knowledge of this sub-sector, which would obviously impact on their ability to sufficiently monitor investor activities in the uranium mines once exploitation commences. In fact, one of the state stakeholders revealed that they had been advised not to concern themselves with the mining industry, since it was a “central government matter”. In Kigoma, stakeholders called for putting sactions and limitations for companies using charcoal technology, since this contributes to the rapid deforestation of the area. The CRM learnt that despite increasing mineral productivity over the years, minimal analysis has been done to determine the impacts associated with this expansion.125 There is therefore a need to carry out environmental and socio-economic impacts of mining exploiations. 770. Nothwithstanding the challenges, there are some positive developments in the area of environmental sustainability. In Byaramuro district, the activities of small miners, though not regulated by central Government, are contributing to environmental sustainability through self-regulation and government-sponsored environmental management training. There are also cases of responsible and sustainable environmental activities, outside the mining sector. Tanzania Breweries Limited, for instance, was hailed for its modern and environmentally-friendly water effluent plant which recycles effluent and water and ensures the re-use of waste water, thus preserving the local Themi river. In the case of the soda ash project in the Lake Natron area, Government’s 45 per cent stake in the industry may mean better observance of environmental sustainability standards. lll. Recommendations 771. The APR Panel recommends that the United Republic of Tanzania; • 125 Establish monitoring mechanisms to ensure the strict implementation of labour conventions ratified and domesticated in Tanzanian legislation; [Ministry of Labour and Employment, Trade Unions] A.G.N. Kitula, The environmental and socio-economic impacts of mining on local livelihoods in Tanzani,. A case study of Geita District, 2005. 158