The Center for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), through its Natural Resources Extraction Program (NAREP), will convene a two-day capacity building workshop on “Restricting opportunities for corruption in the African mining sector ” under the Powering Just Energy program. Project Transition (JET) Minerals Challenge.
With financial support from USAID, the workshop will host 25 journalists from 10 media organizations and one representative from five Nigerian civil society organizations.
Objective of the intervention
In a statement issued by the organization on Tuesday, a copy of which was shared with PREMIUM TIMES, the workshop aims to strengthen the role of the media and CSOs in the fight against corruption in the green minerals value chain and address information access challenges in the green minerals sector.
The statement noted that as the global transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources accelerates, the mining industry has become a critical sector in achieving the global energy transition agenda.
However, he said that despite its abundant mineral resources, Nigeria’s solid minerals sector is plagued by secrecy, corruption and numerous environmental and human rights issues.
The organization denounced that the operations of Nigerian extractive actors, particularly mining operators, are largely shrouded in opacity, with minimal institutional transparency, and noted that the lack of openness contributes to no accountability, mismanagement of funds, revenue leakages “and, above all, hampers the government’s ability to meet its financial obligations and provide development to its citizens.”
Felicia Dairo, NAREP project director at CJID, said: “In response to these enormous challenges affecting the sector, CJID is organizing the workshop to equip media and civil society organizations working in the accountability in selected countries to encourage the implementation of important transparency measures and accountability interventions necessary to reform the green minerals sector.
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“We recognize that the media and CSOs play an enormous role in defending democratic accountability; However, they are limited by the lack of data and evidentiary information necessary to carry out their tasks effectively. “This workshop therefore hopes to fill the knowledge gap and enhance the capacity of participants to expose corrupt practices around the critical minerals value chain that is central to the energy transition campaign.”
About the workshop
This workshop, Ms Dairo said, is the first of four capacity building training sessions for critical stakeholders in Nigeria, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Mozambique under the Powering Just Energy Transition (JET) project. ) Minerals Challenge.
The Nigerian leg of the training is scheduled for Wednesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 23 in Abuja, the country’s capital.
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The workshop, the project director added, is an in-person event that will be led by experienced trainers and experts identified with diverse backgrounds.
“Following the workshop, CJID will support media organizations with research grants to conduct investigative storytelling to uncover corrupt actors and issues along the green minerals value chain in Nigeria, while participating CSOs They will be supported to embark on advocacy campaigns to stop corrupt and non-state governments. responsible state actors”.