THE Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Wednesday, challenged African countries implementing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to device home-grown strategies to tackle transparency and accountability issues, bearing in mind the unique and peculiar nature of the region.
Dr. Fayemi, who further advised them to bring their traditional notions of accountability and values to interrogate existing institutional mechanisms and frameworks, made this known in a statement issued and signed by the Director of Communications of the National Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja.
The minister, while playing host to a delegation from the Malawi Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (MWEITI) that came to understudy Nigeria’s implementation of the EITI, urged them to use the initiative to help their respective governments by proposing alternatives and options that support reforms in their extractive industries.
According to him, “one value we can add is to make the EITI relevant to our people and the government. We joined the initiative voluntarily. We need to have our own clarity of thoughts as to what we will like to see.
“Annual audits are fine by themselves, but we need to make the issue of transparency tangible for those who are ultimately the victims of lack of transparency, especially in the extractive industries. How does what we do in NEITI for instance sit with the African mining vision that African Union Ministers have agreed for the extractive sector in Africa.
“Africa needs to deepen the engagements, institutionalise and internalise the EITI”, he added.
The Malawian delegation visited him in his capacity as the Chairman of the NEITI National Stakeholders’ Working Group, which is NEITI’s board.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Mr. Waziri Adio advised the team on the need for Malawi to put in place a legal and regulatory framework in order to sustain and safeguard the implementation of the EITI and ensure that Malawians derive maximum benefit from their God given wealth.
“Though Nigeria is a pioneer member of the EITI, there are things we want to do differently and so we see your visit also as a learning process for us.
The advocacy strategy that we have adopted makes our engagement with stakeholders unique, and we have seen even those who do not want to partner with us, reach out to us of their own volition. The Legislature has also benefited from our reports. You need to work with all stakeholders taking into account their various sensitivities”, he advised.
Leader of the Malawian Delegation to Nigeria and Chairman of the MSG, Mr. Crispin Kulemeka said they were in Nigeria to learn how the country recorded its successes and milestones in implementing the EITI.
Mr. Kulemeka said Nigeria is rated highly at the global EITI, adding that the lessons they are taking away would help strengthen Malawi’s EITI implementation and preparation towards releasing its first report which is due in April, 2017.