Temporal frictions: competing futures of LNG in Tanzania

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Abstract

This paper explores the temporalities behind resource nationalism and the liquefied natural gas project (LNG) in Tanzania. At a cost of $42 billion, the LNG project would be one of the most capital-intensive projects in Africa and would allow for export of Tanzanian gas. Focusing on the LNG negotiations during the rule of John Pombe Magufuli, this paper uses interviews with key stakeholders involved in the negotiation and planning of the LNG project, both from the government and the hydrocarbon sector. It argues that competing imaginaries of the future of the gas sector in Tanzania has led to friction between actors and has resulted in slow progression for the project. Central to this has been competing short-, medium-, and long-term time horizons, contrasting market and electoral cycles, and differing imaginaries of what the future of LNG holds for the country. This paper’s core argument is that competing perceptions of the future between different actors involved in the project, have allowed for friction between actors. At its core, this is through how the future was constructed for actors, be it through development strategies, price forecasts, or different imagined futures.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)471-491
Number of pages21
JournalJournal of Eastern African Studies
Volume18
Issue number3
Early online date25 Jul 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 Dec 2024

Funding

This research was funded by the ESRC under the Regional Studies and Languages open PhD pathway. I wish to thank Andrew Bowman and Sam Spiegel for their comments on previous drafts of this paper as a chapter in a PhD thesis. I also wish to thank my research assistant for his work during data collection and translation. Finally, I wish to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their patience, insightful comments and assistance on this article. All errors and omissions are my own.

Keywords

  • LNG
  • Resource nationalism
  • Tanzania
  • infrastructure
  • megaprojects
  • temporality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • Anthropology
  • History
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Political Science and International Relations

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