Mwanza — THE Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy and Minerals has pledged to champion the establishment of a Registration Board for Geoscientists in Tanzania, saying the move could provide a long-term solution to challenges facing the profession, including the presence of unqualified intermediaries in geological activities.

Speaking in Mwanza during the opening of the Annual Meeting of Geologists in Tanzania, the committee's chairperson, Subira Mgalu, said gaps in the country's legal and institutional framework had created loopholes that allow unqualified individuals to undertake geological work.

Mgalu said the presence of unqualified practitioners in the geology sector was not only a concern for professionals but could also directly affect the interests of investors and the Government when technical work is carried out without adhering to required professional standards.

She added that the absence of a dedicated registration board had left the sector without a robust system for regulating and overseeing the ethics, standards, professional qualifications and competence of geoscientists working in both the public and private sectors.

Participants at the meeting said establishing the board would help close loopholes that allow unqualified individuals to operate in the sector, while strengthening the protection of Tanzania's geology sector, professionals and national interests.