DAR ES SALAAM, July 11 -- THE Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA) has increased Tanzanian company participation in oil and gas exploration from under 55 per cent to 85 per cent.

Speaking at the 49th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF), PURA Director General Engineer Charles Sangweni credited the rise to more local firms involved in data collection for identifying oil and gas reserves.

Engineer Sangweni recounted that the first drilling campaign took place in 2018 in the deep sea, where one well was drilled by a specialised vessel carrying 150 workers, 52 of whom were Tanzanians.

“For the first time, we are seeing a significant number of Tanzanians directly involved in drilling operations—roles previousl...