Luanda - Angola's first international pre-validation report by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has been harmed by the lack of information on contracts and beneficiary data preventing its final approval.
According to the representative of the EITI's international secretariat for Portuguese-speaking African countries, Tatiana Alvarenga, Angola submitted its report on good governance and transparency in the extractive sector in December 2023, when the organization made a preliminary assessment of the document.
The EITI specialist explained that among the limitations of the document are the impediments of Angola's National Statistical System Law, which prohibits the disclosure of fiscal and non-fiscal information and sharing it with other entities and/or public disclosure.
"We are supporting the pre-validation of Angola's report, following the implementation and identification of gaps and what needs to be done by October this year, the period for approval and final validation of the EITI members' reports," Alvarenga said.
Tatiana Alvarenga revealed that at this time the Angolan government, through the Ministry of Finance, is studying the structural changes to be made to the sector's legislation, with the participation of the members of the National Coordination Committee (CNC) of the Angolan EITI.
António Armando,secretary-general of the Angolan Ecological Youth (JEA) and member of the CNC, spoke of the need to change the National Statistical System Law, which prevents the disclosure of open data, as a requirement of the EITI for the approval of the transparency and good governance report.
Another challenge, Armando said, is the need for greater interconnection between the members of the Angolan EITI and the CNC, specifically the Executive, companies and civil society to improve the coming reports.
Regarding the benefits of the EITI, Armando pointed to the conformity of Angolan mining sector legislation and the consequent transparency as vectors for attracting new national and foreign investment.
Francisco Maialo, a technician of the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, on his turn said the country has taken significant steps forward in terms of transparency and good governance in the extractive sector in particular.
"For five days, we've been collecting relevant contributions to improve the report and meet EITI standards, for approval next October," he said.
The National Extractive Industries Transparency Report is a document that presents detailed information about a country's extractive industry produced as part of EITI for a global standard that promotes the transparent and responsible management of natural resources.
Timeline
Angola's first EITI Report includes information on the General State Account for the fiscal year 2021, which forms the basis of its presentation and has been prepared with a focus and depth of data analysis.
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative is a voluntary platform to promote transparency and responsible management of revenues from the mining and oil extractive sectors, implemented by the countries concerned and the companies operating in these industries.
Angola's National EITI Coordination Committee is a body set up under Presidential Decree to combine interests, join actions and standardize policies and procedures between the different participants, government bodies, mineral extraction companies, oil companies and organized civil society in Angola.OPF/AC/AMP
