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Political responsibility for the initiative is designated to the post of the Minister of Presidential Affairs - EITI Champion. In January 2007, a delegation attended an EITI workshop hosted by the Ghanaian government where the Champion delivered a key note speech. To date, key government institutions including the National Revenue Authority, Ministry of Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Finance have endorsed EITI and pledged to work towards its implementation.

There is at present no single voice for mining industry in Sierra Leone. However, efforts are being made to establish a Chamber of Mines in the country. This will be of key importance to the implementation of EITI as a standard way through which to engage industry. Civil Society continues to be supportive of the Initiative and has carried out a year long sensitisation programme of civil society groups in the provincial areas.

To date, there is a SLEITI framework and work plan in place. Both documents have extended focus beyond diamonds to include bauxite, rutile and gold – the fist phase of SLEITI will publish and verify data from the four large scale mining companies operating in the country. The SLEITI steering Committee, formed in December 2006 has worked with the support of technical assistance to produce the SLEITI framework and implementation plan.

Components of the Initiative have also been included in the recently redrafted Mines and Mineral Act. Additionally, the EITI has gone into the draft constitution as an ‘enabling provision’ – the purpose is to ensure that an EITI Commission is set up and provided with a mandate to legislate on EITI.

Keynote Speech: Dr. Shehou Sesay, Minister for Presidential Affairs

President Kabbah Receives In Audience New Director-General Of The Ministry Of Mineral Resources

Address by His Excellency the President Alhaj Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah on the Occasion of the Special Session of the Second Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone, 19 June 2007.

Former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri stated Timor-Leste’s  official support for EITI at the first international EITI conference in June 2003. Timor Leste has, from the outset, pursued a rigorous approach to extractive industries transparency. Petroleum revenues, which flow into a transparently managed  Petroleum Fund, are in the public domain, as are all new Production Sharing Contracts. Thorough public consultations on the country's petroleum sector legislation were conducted before parliamentary approval in mid-2005, and a highly transparent, first licensing round for exploration rights in Timor-Leste's exclusive zone was conducted in 2005/2006.

Timor-Leste has formed an EITI Multi-Stakeholder Working Group, bringing together representatives from relevant government agencies, civil society, and the petroleum industry, to lead EITI implementation. Decisive steps are now being taken toward approval of an EITI work plan outlining proposed actions and activities for Timor-Leste. More information, including minutes of the Group's meetings, is available on the  Timor Leste Country page on this site.

The international EITI Secretariat applauds the outgoing Government for its determined pursuit of extractive industries transparency and welcomes the continuing commitment of the new Government to EITI and to prudent petroleum revenue management in general, for the benefit of the Timorese people.

Chairman of EITI’s International Board, Dr. Peter Eigen highlighted the significance of this process in a letter to Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf earlier this week. "The launch of the LEITI", he wrote, "shows your Government's commitment to good governance and transparency practices. It demonstrates a willingness to working together with civil society." It is by collaborating with civil society that LEITI hopes to ensure that all Liberians are able to benefit from the generous bounty of Liberia’s lands, mines, and forests.

LEITI will be overseen by a Steering Committee composed of members of the government, civil society, the private sector, and international development partners.

Click here to for the full speeches of President Sirleaf and Finance Minister Antoinette Sayeh.

From the Presidential Statement:

The Security Council acknowledges the crucial role that the Peacebuilding Commission, together with other United Nations and non-United Nations actors, can play in post-conflict situations, in assisting Governments, upon their request, in ensuring that natural resources become an engine for sustainable development. In this regard, the Security Council recognizes the role of voluntary initiatives aiming at improving revenue transparency, such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.  The Security Council also stresses that the use, disposal and management of natural resources is a multifaceted and cross-sector issue that involves various United Nations organizations.  In this regard, the Security Council acknowledges the valuable contribution of various United Nations organizations in promoting lawful, transparent and sustainable management and exploitation of natural resources.

The contradictory relationship between natural resource wealth and poverty in human development and governance, especially pronounced among the hydrocarbon-rich African countries, represents a complex challenge for industrialised nations highly dependent on these energy supplies. In response to the "resource curse" suffered by so many countries of the South, with its accompanying corruption and violence, a regime for transparency in the payments made by extractive multinationals has been created. Representing an agreement between parties who in other circumstances would not readily collaborate, these new rules offer great potential for global governance. While Spain has a notable interest in energy security, it has not yet shown a great deal of commitment to this new initiative, in spite of the significant potential it offers for achieving greater coherence in Spain's Development Aid policy. (Versión española pdf)

Peter Eigen, chairman of the EITI, welcomed Botswana’s decision: Botswana’s management of its natural resources is a good example of how these resources can be a development opportunity. Becoming an implementing country of the EITI and contextualizing its already responsible management of the revenues from diamonds and other mineral deposits within the EITI is a hugely important demonstration of good governance in Africa.

The coalition of countries, oil, gas and mining companies, and civil society organizations that are all behind the EITI, welcome Botswana’s decision. We look forward to working together in ensuring that these natural resources continue to bring development to the people of Botswana. It is encouraging to see the EITI becoming a forum for other countries to draw on the experiences of countries such as Botswana and Norway.”

Notes to the editor:

The EITI is a new global standard by which companies publish what they spend and governments publish what they receive. The EITI is a collaboration between governments, companies and civil society. EITI is being implemented in over 20 countries and is supported by the majority of the world’s publicly listed oil, gas and mining companies. The Governments of Gabon and Nigeria are among the members of the EITI board.

Dr. Peter Eigen is the chairman of the EITI. Dr. Eigen worked for the World Bank for over 20 years and is the founder of Transparency International (TI), a non-governmental organization promoting transparency and accountability in international development.

All inquiries to Wendy Raymont, EITI Berlin office, at +49 30 2005 97 1-13.

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A new initiative, the “Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative” (EITI) seeks the developmental deployment of natural resource revenue. Natural resources present enormous development opportunities, provided that they are managed well. By requiring transparency over payments from oil, gas and mining companies to host governments, EITI critically contributes towards good governance and to ensuring that local populations benefit from what are after all their natural resources.