How far to the 2020 goal? The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management in Tanzania

This policy brief evaluates the implementation of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) in Tanzania. Based on interviews with 17 stakeholders and a review of government documents, the study finds that while SAICM has positively influenced national chemicals management across its five objectives, significant risks persist in the informal sector and agricultural industry, and national coordination among senior officials remains a challenge.

• Implementation of SAICM has had a positive impact on chemicals management in Tanzania, with progress recorded across all five of its objectives: risk reduction, knowledge and information, governance, capacity building and technical cooperation, and illegal international traffic.
• Concrete achievements in risk reduction include the initiation of the globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS), for which the Government Chemist Laboratory Agency (GCLA) has drafted a regulation. Additionally, a Quick Start Program (QSP) project on chemical accident prevention and preparedness (CAPP) has led to a new registry for cyanide use and new national guidelines for chemical transports, specifically benefiting the mining sector.
• Governance has improved through the introduction of the Industrial and Consumer Chemicals Act of 2003 and the Fertilizers Act of 2009. However, the Rotterdam Convention is not yet fully operational, and Tanzania has not ratified International Labour Organization conventions 174 and 184.
• National coordination remains a significant gap, particularly at the decision-making level among directors and senior government officials, although coordination is successful among technical committees. To address this, a process to develop a national chemicals policy has been initiated by the Vice President's Office (VPO).
• Efforts to combat illegal international traffic have seen improvements, with GCLA representatives now stationed at most entry points to manage chemical imports and registration. Despite this, porous borders continue to allow illegal imports.
• The most severe chemical risks are concentrated in the informal sector, including small-scale mining, food production, smallholder farming, and wood preservation. In the wood industry, workers often apply copper-chrome-arsenic by hand without protective gear; the report notes that general legal improvements are unlikely to reach this sector without specific targeting.
• Chemical management in agriculture is a major challenge. While the Tropical Pesticides Research Institute (TPRI) monitors pesticide residues for export markets, the Tanzanian Food and Drugs Authority (TFDI) has not yet operationalized laboratory monitoring for the national market.

APA

Persson, L. (2014). How far to the 2020 goal? The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management in Tanzania. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Persson-Tanzania.pdf

Chicago

Persson, Linn. How far to the 2020 goal? The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management in Tanzania. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2014. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Persson-Tanzania.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Persson |first1=Linn |title=How far to the 2020 goal? The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management in Tanzania |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Persson-Tanzania.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{persson2014how, author = {Persson, Linn}, title = {{How far to the 2020 goal? The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management in Tanzania}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Persson-Tanzania.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }