NEITI Receives Global Support To Deepen Open Data Policy
By Juliet Ukanwosu
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), has received the support of Belgium, Australia and Canada to deepen its implementation of the Open Data policy of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
NEITI secured this pledge when the Ambassadors of the Embassies of Belgium, Australia and Canadian in Nigeria, visited the NEITI House in Abuja.
The Diplomats which include the Ambassador of Belgium Mr. Pieter Leenknegt, Australian High Commissioner Leilani Bin-Juda and the Canadian High Commissioner Jammie Christoff, made the pledge shortly after an inspection of the newly completed NEITI Data Center.
Pledging to support the Open Data policy of NEITI, the diplomats welcomed the Data Center project as an important milestone in the use of credible data to fight corruption in the extractive industry.
The diplomats offered to support the NEITI Data Center in the areas of skills development, training and technical assistance required to optimize the use of the facility.
Welcoming the diplomats, Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, described their visit to NEITI House as an opportunity to deepen cooperation and partnership between NEITI and the diplomatic community in Nigeria.
“As supporting countries to the EITI at the global level, your visit is a great opportunity to domesticate the support of your respective countries to the EITI at global levels to connect directly with Nigerian citizens who earnestly desire that the abundant natural resources in this country works for the benefit of all, not just a few,” Dr. Orji stated.
Calling for closer partnership between the diplomatic missions and NEITI to strengthen NEITI’s international affiliation under the global EITI, he added that their visit is a huge encouragement to NEITII and an endorsement of its strong international affiliation and partnership with 57 other resource-rich EITI member countries.
While underscoring the fact that the global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources poses significant risks to countries that depend heavily on hydrocarbon-based natural resource-revenues for survival, Dr. Orji told the Ambassadors that Nigeria is an example of countries heavily dependent on oil revenues for survival.
“Your visit is an opportunity to highlight the importance of partnership and cooperation between under developed, developing and developed countries which are all found within the EITI community to share knowledge, skills and technical support with our organization to help our government and citizens with timely policy decisions and strategies to deal with these complex challenges and unavoidable unfolding developments in the extractive sector,” Orji told the diplomats.
While conducting the diplomats round the NEITI Data Center, Dr. Orji explained that NEITI reached the decision to build a Data Center to enable the agency support the reforms in the extractive industries with evidence-based decisions,
In his remarks, representatives of the NEITI National Working Group, Ambassador Mathew Adoli, pledged the support of the Board to deepening NEITI’s existing partnership and collaboration with diplomatic missions in Nigeria and international development partners to expand the scope of EITI implementation in the country.
Also speaking on the role of the civil society, Dr. Erisa Danladi Sarki, the civil society representative on the NEITI Board, identified the importance of sustainable advocacy to draw local and international attention to issues of gender and environment arising from oil, gas and mining exploration.
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