Technical Assistance in Sierra Leone
Working with attorneys from the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) and other experts, Revenue Watch has been assisting the government of Sierra Leone in its ongoing review and negotiation of mining conventions since early 2008. This effort has taken place in the context of a broader policy and legislative overhaul, and RWI has focused on helping the government manage these parallel processes so that policy decisions developed during contract negotiations are consistent with the broader legal framework.
RWI has been an advocate of greater civil society participation in both the legal reform and contract review processes. Two civil society representatives, including a representative of RWI's local civil society partner in Sierra Leone, the National Advocacy Coalition on the Extractives (NACE), were given formal roles on the task force charged with contract review. RWI has developed and run economic models used by the government's negotiation team and provided comparative analyses and advice on the formulation of extractive industry tax policy.
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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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
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PUBLICATIONS
 Contracts Confidential: Ending Secret Deals in the Extractive IndustriesContract 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 ... |