Enabling Reforms : A Stakeholder-Based Analysis of the Political Economy of Tanzania’s Charcoal Sector and the Poverty and Social Impacts of Proposed Reforms

Although charcoal is the single most
important energy source for millions of urban dwellers in
Tanzania, being used by all tiers of society from laborers
to politicians, it seems to be politically neglected and
even unwanted, given that it is not considered as a possible
mean to achieve long-term sustainable development, for
example as a low-carbon growth option contributing to energy
security, sustainable forest management, and poverty
alleviation strategies. The largely unregistered and
unregulated production and use of charcoal give reason to
serious environmental concerns that call for a comprehensive
reform of the sector: with Tanzania's total annual
charcoal consumption being estimated at 1 million tons, the
annual supply of wood needed to meet this demand is about 30
million cubic meters. Systematic initiatives trying to halt
forest degradation and to make the sector more
environmentally and economically sustainable are missing or
have remained largely ineffective. Building on the World
Bank's recent policy note on potential reforms of the
charcoal sector in Tanzania, this report aims to facilitate
the policy dialogue around charcoal sector reforms by
providing analytical information on the political economy of
the charcoal sector and on the potential poverty and social
impacts of a sustainability-oriented reform agenda. There is
no comprehensive policy, strategy, or legal framework in
Tanzania addressing the charcoal sector.