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Article

28 Jul 2014

Author:
Gard Benda, General Secretary of Publish What You Pay(Uganda chapter), in The Observer(Uganda) 24 July 2014

Publish What You Pay official urges Uganda to join Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

"Uganda’s hopes in extractives sector lie in EITI"

Uganda has high expectations in the extractives sector, especially with an addition of oil and gas resource to the basket of the abundant mineral resources. However, these hopes can only be realised if the country agrees to sign up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)...[It] is in the interest of government to see that Ugandans are getting out of poverty and enjoying services...The EITI campaign benefits government more than the activists, especially CSO representatives and passionate individual campaigners. In order to support government to spearhead the translation of natural resource wealth into better development for the local citizens, the EITI becomes the key centrepiece of the value-chain. The EITI further increases public information, thereby empowering the public to put to task their government to account for every penny of the resource revenues, which many governments in Africa tend to fear. It also helps in enhancing revenue collection and management, for improved service delivery.