Sierra Leone Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (SLEITI) on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 held a national sensitization and dissemination event on 2019 SLEITI report which is themed: “Promoting Sustainable Development Through a Transparent and Accountable Extractive Sector”.
The event which was held at the Western Area Rural District Council hall in Waterloo was attended by policymakers, representatives of civil society organisations, tribal heads, heads of school, and students, among others.
The National Coordinator of SLEITI, Mohamed Baimba Koroma urged all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to disclose data on the contribution of the extractive sector to the economy of the country annually.
Koroma noted that relevant agencies had failed to disclosed the contribution of the sector on Gross Domestic Products (GDP), revenues, exports and provide informed statistics on employment on the extractive sector.
He said that providing of important data is part of the criteria covered by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (EITI) for every fiscal year, adding that failure to provide the required data militates against the work of SLEITI.
“Data inclusive of an estimates of informal sector activity, including but not limited to artisanal and small-scale mining, total revenues generated by the extractive industries, total percentage export and percentage of employment dis-aggregated by gender, company and occupational level,” Koroma said.
Koroma highlighted that the revenue generated by the extractive industries in 2019 amounted to US$67 million, which also includes social and environmental expenditure. He said that total value of production for the same is estimated US $399 million, and total export is valued at US$418 million.
He furthered that in comparison the total government revenue for 2020 was estimated at US $ 56m indicated a decrease by 10.11% when compared to US $ 62m in 2019.
Koroma also mentioned that analysis of revenue from the extractive industries by commodity indicates that Rutile contributed approximately 42%, Diamond 28% and Bauxite 10 % for the 2019 fiscal year.
Representing the office of the Vice President, Prince Williams said that government has activated policies and other structures to enhance productivity and compliance in the extractive industry.
He added that the Geo-data mapping process will help to locate mineral resources and identify rightful owners of companies which would help to enforce accountability.
The Deputy Chairman of Western Area Rural District Council (WARD-C), Melvin Browne said that it is important for SLEITI to educate the public on mining activities and its contribution to the economy.
He added that the event is an eyeopener to the resources generated by the extractive industries, highlights expected outcomes, and effect of policies in the extractive industries.
It should be noted that the Government of Sierra Leone announced its intention to join EITI in June 2006 in order to promote transparency and accountability in the management of its mineral resources. The country formed its first Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG), the Sierra Leone EITI Steering Committee (SLEITI) in June 2007 and became an EITI candidate in February 2008 and a compliant country in 2014.
The overall objective of the report is to assist the government to identify the positive contributions of mineral resources to the economic, and also to realize potential through improved resource governance.
By George M.O. Williams