With support from the African Development Bank, the National Advocacy Coalition on Extractives (NACE) in partnership with the Multi-Stakeholder group (MSG) of the Sierra Leone Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (SLEITI) on 18-19 August 2016 held a 2 –day work plan workshop at the Hill Valley Hotel “to put strategies in place for full implementation of the changes to the new standard” following its launch this year at the 7th EITI Conference in Lima, Peru.
At the opening ceremony, the Chief of Staff’s keynote address delivered on his behalf by Ibrahim Yusif Bangura Esq. touched on several key issues around natural resource transparency and accountability. The statements pointed out that “Sierra Leone still relies heavily on mining revenues which creates an urgency to build a shared sense of direction in the management of the sector and despite the reported revenue leakages there are still opportunities to maximize income from the sector through the EITI”.
Owing to the government’s continued firm commitment to fully implement the EITI and also remain compliant, the statement further stated that the production of the country’s 2014 Reconciliation Report due for publication in December 2016 is on the way and it is being funded by the Government of Sierra Leone- a report which the statement said should be of high quality that is worthy of submission during validation in 2017.
The statement also encouraged every stakeholder to fully engage themselves during deliberations while at the same time calling on mining companies, civil society, government, and parliament to support the EITI Process.
The modules designed for the 2-days workshop were successfully discussed. They included Changes to the EITI Standards; Extractive Sector Benchmarking Exercise, Beneficial Ownership disclosure, Mining and illicit economy, and among others. Seasoned academicians and experts knowledgeable about the country’s Extractive Industries led the deliberations.
The workshop also spent significant time reviewing SLEITI’s 2016-2018 work plan- a document which the Chief of Staff’s keynote address described as “ a 3 year plan with many other activities lined up for implementation in accordance with the timelines set”.
Mohamed Salisu, an MSG member involved in the initial draft of the work plan gave an overview of the document noting that it consists of six specific objectives- Improving Extractive Governance in Sierra Leone; improved extractive revenue management; strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks for governance of the extractive industries; enhance stakeholder capacity; enhance SLEITI’s capacity to better achieve its objectives; and to mobilise support to enhance citizen’s ownership of the EITI in Sierra Leone.
In her closing statement, The National Coordinator of SLEITI, Mina Horace, described the workshop as successful noting that the Secretariat will take urgent steps to finalise the work plan and at the same time work assiduously to implement the recommendations of the workshop.
Earlier, the National Coordinator of NACE, Cecilia Mattia thanked the ADB for funding the workshop and briefed her audience on the core objectives of the workshop. She also used the occasion to inform her audience that the workshop was the 1st of two workshops designed to achieve similar objectives.
This release supersedes the former issued on Tuesday 22nd May 2013.
