Focus On: Equitable Economic Development
Over the past seven years, ISLP has developed a significant program of assistance to several governments of least developed countries regarding the management and use of their countries’ extractive sector wealth. This program draws on a major ISLP strength: its global access to lawyers with decades of experience in complex economic regulation and international business transactions, including in the extractive sector.
In late 2012, the Attorney General's Chambers of Tanzania asked ISLP to develop and implement a five-day training (ISLP's 10th training in Tanzania) on best practices for tendering, negotiating and drafting petroleum and gas agreements. ISLP recruited volunteers Scot Anderson, a partner at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP and Andrew Thompson of ACT Financial Consulting for the workshop, held in Arusha in October.
Among the 35 participants were representatives from the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation, the Tanzanian Revenue Authority and the Tanzania Investment Center. The group was welcomed warmly by the Hon. George Simbachawene, Deputy Minister for Energy and Minerals:
"May I also sincerely thank the ISLP volunteers who came all the way from Colorado and Arizona to be with us in Arusha to help deliver another important workshop. Tanzania, like any other developing country, is still faced with challenges - on how best we can balance the scales on one hand - attraction of foreign investment in oil and gas sector and on the other hand optimal utilization of resources for the benefit of our people."
In November, another team of ISLP volunteers presented a workshop focused on international best practices for negotiating and drafting investment contracts in the mining industry for junior Tanzanian government officials. Tanneke Heershe, a partner of Fasken Martineau and Nic Roodt, Director of Bell Dewar in Johannesburg, also received high praise for their delivery of practical legal tools and information.
ISLP anticipates delivering several additional workshops related to extractive sector management for the governments of Tanzania, Senegal and Zambia.
