Evaluation of the EIA process in Zanzibar: the participation of stakeholders in public and private projects

Stakeholder participation is expected to influence decision making toward project design and final environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports. Failure to address stakeholder concerns and satisfaction can significantly reduce the social and environmental impacts, resulting in project failures. This study aims to assess the relationship between participation and satisfaction of stakeholders in the EIA process through thirty selected public-private projects of Zanzibar Island. It employed the use of interviews with stakeholders, questionnaires, reports and consultations as instruments of data collection. The satisfaction of stakeholders was mean scored and then modeled using multilinear regression (MLR) and ordinal logistic regression (OLR). Results indicated that the majority of stakeholders (55%) were not involved in the EIA decision-making process. The local communities and NGOs have poor influence despite their very high interest in the EIA process, which justifies their limited public participation in the EIA stages. The overall satisfaction of stakeholder was basic. Their increase is influenced by the sufficient information and their involvement in the EIA. It would be recommendable to involve the stakeholders from the earliest stages of the EIA process and provide information and knowledge regarding the project development.