Tanzania, Feb. 7 -- Dar es Salaam. Amidst rising prices of petroleum products, the parliament now wants Tanzania to reduce its reliance on oil and instead focus on natural gas, which the country is abundantly blessed with.

The Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Minerals said in the House yesterday that the government needs to work on issues that hinder the growth of the use of natural gas in the country.

In doing so, said the committee in its presentation, many more people will shift from petroleum products to natural gas.

Tanzania, just like many other non-oil-producing countries, has borne the brunt of decisions by members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) to either cut or raise production.

This, cou...