How far to the 2020 goal? The strategic approach to chemicals management in Tanzania

SAICM is a voluntary international agreement established in 2006 with the aim of achieving sound management of chemicals. The study assessed how SAICM implementation has improved chemicals management at the national level in Tanzania, through interviews with government officials and representatives from NGOs and the private sector. The study looks at both the reduction of specific, significant chemical risks, and how overall chemicals management has been strengthened at the national level, and shows that in general SAICM implementation has had a positive impact on chemicals management in Tanzania.

But while actions have tackled specific chemical problems, such as the use of hazardous chemicals in the mining industry and gaps in procedure for registering imported chemicals, for most of the issues that interviewees considered to be most pressing, SAICM implementation has not yet led to significant improvements on the ground. It was also noted that most of the severe chemical problems were related to the use and handling of chemicals in the informal sector. The report makes a range of recommendations to consolidate progress already made, and to address outstanding problems.

Download the report (PDF, 1.1MB)