On the 20th and 21st of September 2011, Policy Forum Secretariat was invited to attend the EITI reports analysis training. The training took place in Accra -Ghana at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) where the Africa Regional Extractive Industries Knowledge Hub is situated.

This training programme was part of Revenue Watch’s capacity building programme and it drew participants from six Anglophone countries (Ghana, Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia) with recent or upcoming EITI report. The participants are also involved in CSO activity relating to EITI in their countries through PWYP and/or the Oil & Gas platform.

The purpose of the training, which was facilitated by both RWI internal resource staff and an external specialist who has previous experience in the EITI reports preparation process, was to bring together representatives from Anglophone EITI implementing countries to achieve the following objectives:

  1. Equip participants with the necessary tools and framework to assess an EITI report and understand approaches for improving the reports in their own country.
  2. Increase participants’ awareness of how the data from EITI reports can be utilized to answer important questions regarding extractive industries management and governance in their country.
  3. Facilitate an exchange of experiences and peer learning between civil societies in all EITI implementing countries.
  4. Provide a space in which participants can look ahead to carrying out their own analyses in their respective countries

By attending this workshop, participants were expected to attain skills that will enable them to effectively participate in EITI advocacy after the analysis of the EITI reports in their respective countries. The skills will also enhance their abilities to encourage their governments to improve the content and presentation of their EITI reports.

As of February 2011, twenty-three countries in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative had published a total of 50 reports covering $500 billion in payments. Some reports provide clear, complete information about revenues from oil, gas and mining. Others leave readers frustrated and confused. Most falls somewhere in the middle. Despite their varied quality, the reports represent a wealth of information on government revenues from the extractives sector.