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

The report evaluates SAICM's impact in Tanzania, finding that while it has improved political awareness, legislative frameworks, and safety in large-scale mining, significant risks persist in the informal sector and agriculture. Key gaps include a lack of hazardous waste destruction facilities and inadequate coordination between government sectors.

• SAICM implementation has led to measurable risk reduction in the mining sector, particularly for large and medium-scale enterprises, through the introduction of a cyanide use registry and national guidelines for chemical transports.
• The most severe chemical risks are concentrated in the informal sector, including small-scale gold mining, wood preservation, and small-scale food production, where safety measures and personal protective equipment are frequently lacking.
• Tanzania lacks any registered facility for the disposal or destruction of obsolete or used chemicals, leading to improvised methods such as dilution, discharge, or incineration in cement kilns.
• In the agricultural sector, misuse of pesticides remains a critical issue, characterized by the application of mixtures, lack of protective gear, and the use of chemicals like fenthion in air sprays to deter birds, which then enter the food chain.
• SAICM has successfully increased political awareness and stakeholder involvement, making government ministries more open to collaborating with NGOs and universities.
• National coordination of chemicals management remains a significant weakness, with fragmented sectoral approaches creating loopholes where chemicals banned in one sector may be imported for another.
• Tanzania has initiated the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) to combat illegal repackaging and inappropriate labelling, with a target for full implementation by 2020.
• Illegal and substandard chemical imports persist due to porous borders and limited customs resources, with some industrial chemicals like formalin entering the food chain.

APA

Senyagwa, J., & 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-ProjectReport-Persson-SAICM-Tanzania.pdf

Chicago

Senyagwa, Jacqueline, and Linn Persson. 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-ProjectReport-Persson-SAICM-Tanzania.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Senyagwa |first1=Jacqueline |last2=Persson |first2=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-ProjectReport-Persson-SAICM-Tanzania.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{senyagwa2014how, author = {Senyagwa, Jacqueline and 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-ProjectReport-Persson-SAICM-Tanzania.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }