Community Perceptions on Participation in the Corporate Social Responsibility related projects to the Oil and Gas Companies. The case of Mtwara Rural District Tanzania.

There is a shortage of research in the body of knowledge on community participation in relation to social responsibility in the Oil and Gas sector. The study explores the community perceptions on their participation in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) related projects of the Oil and Gas in Tanzania. The study was carried out in Mtwara rural district in the Southern Tanzania. Specifically, the study assessed the community experience with the CSR activities/ projects of the Oil and Gas companies. Also, the study examined whether the community is engaged in the CSR related projects of the Oil and Gas companies in Tanzania. Finally. The study examined if the oil and gas companies are commitment in engaging the community in their CSR projects in Tanzania. Being explorative in nature, the study used interviews and focus group discussions to collect data and qualitative approach to data analysis to achieve the study objectives. The study findings show that the community has a good experience with the CSR related projects of oil and gas companies. Moreover, the community is well engaged in decisions and implementation of the CSR projects and in addition, it benefits from the projects. Finally, the study findings reveal that the companies are well committed to the CSR projects in Mtwara rural district. A general conclusion is that stakeholder in the Oil and Gas sector proceed with what has been done to achieve these good outcomes for the sustainable development of the community