OUR WORK / PROJECTS

Small Grant Facilities: World Bank and Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

In 2006 and 2007, with the generous financial support of the World Bank and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, RWI administered two small grant facilities to enhance the capacity of civil society organizations and coalitions seeking to participate in EITI. The goal was not only to assess the baseline factors that enable civil society groups to fulfill their contribution to EITI, but also to develop criteria by which outside actors can identify, select and gauge civil society's ability to partake in the implementation of global fiscal reforms across sectors.

RWI has supported the following initiatives over the course of these projects:

  • Monitoring, advocacy and capacity-building of civil society coalitions in Cameroon, Ghana, DRC, Niger, Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Tanzania and Mauritania
  • Implementation of two major civil society capacity-building events on EITI and natural resource revenue management, for activists in sub-Saharan Africa and around the world
  • Mapping prospects for EITI implementation and civil society support in Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe
  • A study tour for EITI activists and budget monitors from Azerbaijan to the United States
  • The drafting of "Drilling Down," a comprehensive guide and training manual for the full cycle of civil society participation in EITI

Recipients of World Bank funding include: Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (Mauritania), Association Africaine de Defense des Droits de l'Homme (Democratic Republic of Congo), National Advocacy Coalition on Extractives (Sierra Leone), Integrated Social Development Center (Ghana), Catholic Relief Services (Cameroon), Réseau des Journalistes pour les Droits de l'Homme (Niger), Réseau des Organisations pour la Transparence et l'Analyse Budgétaire (Niger), Publiez Ce que Vous Payez Côte d'Ivoire (Cote d'Ivoire), l'Association Guinéenne pour la Transparence (Guinea Conakry), Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development (Tanzania), CRONGD Kasai Oriental (Democratic Republic of Congo).

Recipients of Dutch MFA funding include: Publish What You Pay Africa Regional Coalition, Southern Africa Resource Watch, National Budget Group (Azerbaijan), TIRI, Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (Mauritania), National Advocacy Coalition on Extractives (Sierra Leone), Catholic Relief Services (Cameroon).

ISSUES

Revenue Transparency
The linkages between resource wealth, poverty, conflict and corruption–the so-called "resource curse"–are well documented. Public information and public accountability are the best guarantee that a country's resource wealth will translate into lasting benefits for its citizens over time.
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Expenditure Transparency
It is impossible to ensure proper management of natural resource wealth by looking exclusively at revenues. Transparent and accountable management and expenditure of public funds is essential to addressing the poverty, corruption and autocracy that too often plague resource rich countries.
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COUNTRIES

Gabon
With the recent death of President Omar Bongo, Gabon faces a stark choice between a legacy of corruption and a new chance to give citizens a role in the management of its natural resources. The need for change is especially urgent because Gabon's oil reserves are finite. Oil production has dropped 30% since 2000, while leaders have allowed the non-oil industries to remain underdeveloped.
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Ecuador
Since the inauguration of President Rafael Correa in January 2007, Ecuador has undergone momentous political change. In prior governments, confrontation between the executive and legislative branches bred intense political instability. Despite these tensions, Ecuador was able to establish a sound legal framework for transparency. However, a public perception of poor transparency persists.
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LATEST NEWS
PUBLICATIONS

Contracts Confidential: Ending Secret Deals in the Extractive Industries

Contract transparency is sorely needed to improve the management of natural resource wealth. In a new report from RWI, authors Peter Rosenblum and Susan Maples delve into government and private sector objections to contract disclosure and make conclusions about what information may legitimately and reasonably be kept confidential, and how civil society institutions can better confront the challenge of secret deals.
Learn more about the report ...