Tanzania, Feb. 23 -- Dar es Salaam. That Dr James Mataragio has been through a lot during the past 10 years is an open secret.

The holder of a PhD in Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Structural Geology and Petroleum Geology from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in the USA, Dr Mataragio has indeed been on an emotional rollercoaster ride during his tenure as a public servant.

His appointment as head of the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) by then-President Jakaya Kikwete in 2014 sent a message to other business leaders that the government was seriously working out a plan that sought to tap into the best private sector brains to tweak the performance of public sector entities.

With exploration for natural gas an...