NEITI Holds Consultation on Nigeria’s Progress Report in Extractive Sectors

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) yesterday held a stakeholder’s consultation/validation meeting on the 2023 Annual Progress Report (APR) of Nigeria’s Extractive Industries.
Speaking at the event, Executive Secretary of the organisation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, stressed that the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) requirement 1.5 under its 2023 standard, mandates all implementing countries, including Nigeria, to document their review of impacts and outcomes of the EITI implementation.

The global body, he said, also requires that all stakeholders – companies, government and civil society involved in the EITI process, should be able to participate in reviewing the impact of EITI implementation, provide feedbacks, and have their views reflected in the annual progress report.
“Therefore, this programme has been designed to consult with you, validate your inputs and have your views reflected in the 2023 Annual Progress Report of the Nigeria Extractive Industries in line with the requirements of the global EITI.

“The programme also provides us an opportunity to evaluate and celebrate progress, milestones and achievements recorded through our various organisation’s programmes and activities in the oil gas and mining sector within the period under review, through the mechanism of EITI annual progress reporting,” he stated.
 The objective, he said, was to deepen EITI implementation in Nigeria and report on its progress, outcomes and impacts.
“It is therefore important to state that annual progress reporting is not just a NEITI Secretariat business alone, it concerns all the stakeholders whose works in their various organizations have been contributing to achieving EITI objectives in Nigeria.

“Therefore, APR is about documenting, reporting, showcasing and celebrating the good work being done by various stakeholders – government agencies, civil society organizations and companies that have been contributing in one way or another, to deepening reforms in Nigeria’s extractive industries,” he added.
Orji urged all stakeholders to share their works to enable NEITI report and celebrate them through the instrumentality of the global EITI.
“The APR reporting framework provides platform to celebrate your key achievements and contributions to reform the sectors.

“While we acknowledge that indeed, there are still many issues to be addressed in the sectors, we must document, report and celebrate those efforts and progress we are making in the process of addressing those issues so as to build trust, earn citizens/investors’ confidence and attract the desired investment into our extractive sectors and economy,” he noted.