US WITHDRAWAL AS IMPLEMENTING COUNTRY FROM EITI REGRETFUL ANEEJ HOLDS

Press Release

^5th November, 2017.

Abuja, Nigeria…The Africa Network for Environment & Economic Justice, ANEEJ, has expressed dismay and bewilderment at the March 2017 withdrawal of the United States from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, EITI, and its recent ratification of November 2017 of that withdrawal from the EITI as an implementing country.

In a statement released shortly after the US announcement, ANEEJ executive director the Rev. David Ugolor said that the US decision is a setback. ‘We are deeply embarrassed by the US government decision, and disappointed as well that the US has taken a decision to abdicate its leadership position at a time when issues related to the mismanagement of proceeds of oil and gas worldwide have been linked to issues of migration and global security;, the Rev Ugolor said.

With the formation of the EITI as a global body in 2002, the EITI has 52 implementing countries, has already helped to disclose nearly USSD2.3trillion of revenues from oil and gas (estimates from 332 fiscal years) and its activities reach over 3.5 billion people who live in nations big and small with oil, gas and mineral reserves but living in abject poverty. EITI as a global body has helped to strengthen governance at the national and global levels and built the capacities of stakeholders to engage their governments.

‘The US withdrawal as an implementing country lends credence to the speculation of disconnect of the current US government with the realities around the extraction sector. It sends a wrong signal at this point to new and emerging democracies in the adoption and implementation of transparency measures. We urge the US to renege on this unfortunate decision and help to bring sanity to a world gradually spinning out of control’, the Rev Ugolor added.