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Abuja: new horizons for the EITI
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| In Equatorial Guinea, progress on the subject is very limited (In the photo: Teodoro Obiang. Credits: P. Marcou/AFP/Getty Images) |
The EITI’s voluntary regime is gradually being established as a means to fight corruption in Africa’s conflict-ridden extractive industries sector. However, as it currently stands, this tool has limited capacity to redress the problem of the “resource curse” - an issue which has marked Publish What You Pay’s Annual Regional Meeting and the first EITI Conference in Western Africa (Abuja).
African civil society organisations are increasing pressure for broader commitments on the part of governments, companies and consumer countries, beyond the EITI’s current demands (for payments between companies and governments to be published).
If there is a real concern to reform the sector, a greater degree of transparency in the complex chain governing the transformation of natural resources into economic and human development will need to be achieved: from the transparency of oil contracts (contract disclosure) and bidding processes, to transparency in the management of income from extractive industries in policies aimed at reducing poverty.
Time is running short for candidate countries to pass the EITI examination in March 2010 (the date when mechanisms at the country-level need to be validated). Without a doubt, this will be a big step forward. However, the promoters of the initiative and stakeholders must reflect on the need to assume greater political commitments beyond the EITI.
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Keywords
Civil society Energy Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative Governance SpainRelated publications
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