"Knowledge is Power": Empowering Civil Society to Make the Most of the EITI in Tanzania

By Matteo Pellegrini, RWI Program Officer for Training and Capacity Building

	Tanzanian civil society and media members participate in an EITI training.

As Tanzania works toward validation as an EITI country, local members of civil society, the media and a parliamentary representative gathered in Dar es Salaam for a series of Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) training and strategy sessions organized by the Revenue Watch Institute, in collaboration with the Policy Forum of Tanzania and with logistical support from Norwegian Church Aid—Tanzania office. The first event was an informal training and coordination session held on January 20 for the civil society members of the Tanzania EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG).¹ The session prepared attending delegates for two days of negotiations with government and company officials on the approval of key EITI working documents. This was followed by a one-day training attended by a wider group of civil society and media as well as the Chair of the Tanzania chapter of African Parliamentarians Against Corruption (APNAC). The final day featured an action planning session when all target groups came together to be debriefed by their MSG representatives on the outcomes of the EITI MSG meeting and adopt strategies to ensure better coordination between EITI oversight bodies. The meetings, which took place from January 20 through January 23, were the latest phases of Revenue Watch's pilot project, supported by the Gates Foundation, to develop parliamentary capacity in Tanzania.

Tanzania has been an EITI candidate country since February 2009. In spite of a promising start, progress on the Initiative stalled for several months, until recently, when the executive made the bold decision of appointing Rtd. Judge Mark Danhi Bomani Chairman of the Initiative. Judge Bomani had previously led the Presidential Committee on the Review of the Mining Sector, also known as Bomani Commission, emerging on the national scene as a champion of transparent and effective management of minerals.²

Training for MSG civil society delegates

The first session prepared the civil society representatives on the MSG for the January 21-22 MSG meeting, where key decisions were under discussion, including the approval of the EITI workplan; the terms of reference for the EITI MSG, including the structuring and staffing of the Secretariat; and the definition of the terms of reference of the EITI administrator.

All four civil society representatives sitting on the MSG attended the meeting, including representatives from faith-based organizations, research institutions, organizations for the disabled and trade unions.

One of the MSG delegates, Dr. Stephen Munga, Bishop of the Northeastern Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, opened the session by stating that the upcoming meeting would be "very important," and comparing it to the "naming of the baby." He also thanked RWI for this opportunity to meet and strategize as a group.

The delegates first discussed the role that they were called to fulfil as EITI MSG representatives, and agreed their duty was to be "the conscience of the public before the government." The group agreed that the Initiative was an opportunity to increase the flow of information to the public on revenues derived from mining and gas. If successfully implemented, the EITI would in turn create incentives for the government to be accountable and improve its performance in the management of minerals. When prompted on how they could best perform their role as watchdogs in the EITI MSG, participants agreed that it was of utmost importance to educate themselves on the Initiative and extractive issues, and to be up-to-date with the best practices emerging from other countries. Finally, they recognized that civil society can only have an impact when it forms a united front. Bubelwa Kaiza of the research institution Concern for Development Initiatives in Africa (ForDIA)  stated that civil society representatives "must speak with one voice"—something that requires ongoing coordination between delegates at preparatory sessions before MSG meetings. Kaiza added that it is important for the group to relate to the wider civil society and citizens by consulting them in advance of MSG meetings and reporting back to them about decisions made.

The group then moved to form consensus on some of the technical issues on the MSG agenda. Among other things, they agreed on the need to reassert their independence by modifying some language in key documents that stressed the accountability of the MSG to the Ministry of Energy and Mines. After exhausting debates on the workplan and EITI governance, the focus shifted to finding consensus on the scope of the EITI. This involved discussions on the materiality of payments, the need for an audit of EITI declarations and whether EITI data should be published in aggregated or disaggregated form.

At the end of the session, participants displayed new confidence in their ability to effectively participate in the Initiative. Bishop Munga closed the session by encouraging civil society to inform MSG discussions by raising issues key to the public interest and to help the government make the right decisions for the country. The group resolved to meet regularly to define common positions and shape a united and cohesive group that will help the EITI work to the benefit of the country.

Training for wider civil society, media and legislators

On January 21, RWI organized an EITI training for a broader group of civil society and media, as well as the Chair of the Tanzania chapter of APNAC, Hon. Dr. Zainab A. Gama. The objective of the meeting was to inform the wider stakeholders of the rationale, objectives and variations in the Initiative to empower them to influence and support their MSG representatives.

Since all of the participants possessed little prior knowledge of the EITI, the session provided an overview of basic EITI principles and operations. Participants were particularly interested to learn about the multi-stakeholder nature of the Initiative and the obligations that it created for government and companies to engage with civil society. The focus was also on managing participants' expectations on what the EITI could do for the country. In this vein, the examination of the Liberia EITI report provided a good opportunity for groups to reflect on the benefits of the EITI, as well as its limitations.

In addition to increasing participants' knowledge, the event built alliances between civil society and their elected representatives. Responding to a challenge from a civil society participant on the role of Parliament in monitoring extractives, Dr. Gama encouraged the audience to shift from recriminations about Parliament’s shortcomings to engaging MPs constructively, by providing them with the knowledge necessary to make good decisions. "We (MPs) know nothing!" Dr. Gama told the civil society representatives. "We depend on you experts."

Coordination and action planning session on the EITI

	Bishop Stephen Munga reports to the wider meeting of civil society and media members.

The culmination of these meetings was a debriefing for wider civil society on the outcomes of the MSG meeting. Three MSG representatives from civil society and one for small-scale miners attended the event. Bishop Munga led the reporting to the audience, outlining the key topics covered in the MSG meeting, and explaining that it was impossible to discuss and agree upon all agenda points, not because of disagreements between companies, government and civil society but rather due to the disparate levels of knowledge the different stakeholder groups possessed. To the surprise of many delegates, Bishop Munga explained, "We from the civil society were the most knowledgeable!" Discussions could not advance because the government and industry did not display a sufficient understanding of the issues being debated.

This knowledge gap, however, allowed civil society to take the lead in defining some of the key outcomes of the meeting. Among civil society's victories was ensuring the full independence of the EITI in Tanzania from unnecessary government pressure. First, civil society representatives successfully requested that the functions of the MSG be embedded and supported by the law of Tanzania, asking the government to issue the necessary regulations for the independent functioning of the EITI. CSOs also successfully removed contentious language from the MSG TOR that held the MSG directly accountable to the Ministry of Energy and Mines. "We are not responsible to the Minister; we are responsible to the public," said Bishop Munga.

It was also agreed that the draft EITI report should be submitted to the MSG, and not the ministry, to remove any risk of that the Ministry would tamper with the draft report. Finally, civil society convincingly argued that the head and staff of the EITI Secretariat should be appointed by and report to the MSG and not the Ministry as suggested in the initial draft of the TOR. In addition to noting that ministerial control would run counter to the spirit of the EITI, delegates argued that MSG authority is essential to ensuring that the Secretariat will not be altered if a new Minister is appointed following the upcoming October parliamentary elections.

In Bishop Munga’s words, "At the end, we won the war! The MSG shall appoint the Head of the EITI Secretariat."

Bishop Munga also referred to the strategic role played by Rtd. Judge Bomani: "Whenever we came up with bright ideas, he supported us!" Bishop Munga also warned civil society that the next steps would be more challenging. For instance, agreeing on the reporting templates and the scope of the EITI will be difficult. He shared with delegates some early controversy within the MSG on civil society’s proposal to empower the EITI administrator to re-audit company payments and government receipts.

Although the MSG meeting did not cover much ground, the MSG group identity was reinforced. "The good thing is that we (government, companies and oversight bodies) could come together and decide together that we could not decide," said Bishop Munga. Although all representatives recognized that Tanzania faces a quickly approaching deadline to be validated as EITI compliant, delegates stated that it was far more important that the MSG own the Initiative and make it relevant to the country.

Finally, the MSG representatives thanked RWI for the role it played in providing support, coordination and training on the EITI to select MSG delegates both through its 2009 Summer School at the RWI-supported Knowledge Hub for Africa and through the RWI Tanzania program. "We had good coaching from RWI just before the MSG meeting," said Bishop Munga, and the result was that "we were speaking with one voice."

The workshop closed with an EITI action planning session that allowed attendees to brainstorm strategies for improving action and coordination. Among other things, it was decided to regularly schedule pre-MSG consultations and post-MSG debriefings.

In the words of attendees, "knowledge is power." RWI has undoubtedly played an important role in enhancing the knowledge of oversight bodies in Tanzania to play a proactive and leading role in the EITI. However, for the EITI in Tanzania to unleash its full potential as a tool for advancing transparent and effective governance of extractives, much more will be needed. The rest of the EITI MSG must be brought up to speed with the principles and operations of the EITI. Civil society, for its part, must build effective coordination mechanisms to institutionalize its ability to seek input from the public and continue to speak with one voice.

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¹The MSG is the key governance body of the EITI. It is comprised of delegates from the government, extractive companies and oversight bodies, including civil society. It is supported by a dedicated Secretariat.
²The Bomani commission, which was formed by Tanzanian President Kikwete at the end of 2007, was tasked with reviewing commercial mining contracts and making recommendations that would enable the country to reach a win-win understanding with investors in the mining sector.

LEARN MORE

• Empowering Oversight Bodies: Putting the Tanzania’s Mining Act Under Scrutiny
• Reforming the Mining Sector in Tanzania: Legislators Gather for RWI Training on Legal and Economic Frameworks
• CSOs and Media Meet to Devise Ways of Promoting Transparency in the Extractive Industries (Policy Forum)
• TANZANIA: Government Plans to Begin EITI Process
• TANZANIA: Overview