December 2016 News and Analysis from NRGI

News from NRGI
15 December 2016

Highlights

NRGI’s Top 10 Blog Posts in 2016
Revisit the provocative and analysis-rich posts that caught the most reader attention in the last 12 months.

A Robust Civil Society Sharpens Natural Resource Governance
As thousands gathered in Paris for the Open Government Partnership Global Summit this month, Tunisia provided one powerful example of how open government can foster trust and collaboration.

Ghana’s Election: Seven Extractives Governance Recommendations for the Next Government
Ghana’s recent elections were an important opportunity for political parties to share their key priorities in the extractives sector with citizens.

2017 Training Courses
NRGI and its partners have announced course offerings for 2017. With generous donor support, a number of scholarships are available to eligible participants from select countries.

How Can Mineral-Rich Mongolia Emerge Prosperous From its Debt Crisis?

Only a few years ago, Mongolia was hailed as the world’s next economic dynamo. Today, its economy is likely to contract for the first time in eight years. Unemployment is rising. The tugrug, the national currency, has lost nearly 25 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar since the beginning of the year.

Spotlight on data

Commodity Rebound: How Governments Can Make the Most of an Early Christmas Present

The recent agreement between OPEC producers raised the prospect of higher oil prices for the medium term. Over the last six months, other commodity prices have increased, and so have the prospects of many mining companies.

Publications

Tanzania’s Extractive Sector Legislation: Recommendations for Effective Implementation
In July 2015, Tanzania passed three pieces of legislation which lay the foundations for strong governance of the oil and gas sector. The passing of these acts is a positive step, but there is still much to be done.

Parliamentary Guide for Approval of Natural Resource Contracts in Tunisia
This study assesses experiences of parliaments around the world with contract approval and highlights some of the challenges countries faced with parliamentary approval. It also includes a clear and detailed overview of the current contracting process for the hydrocarbons and mining sectors in Tunisia.

Blog

Carole Nakhle on the Global Oil Market, Prospects for the Middle East, and Women in Oil and Gas

Economist Carole Nakhle, the founder and director of London-based advisory, research and training company Crystol Energy, is a recent addition to NRGI’s advisory council. In a wide-ranging interview, she shared her impressions of the global hydrocarbons market, as well as some thoughts on key producers in the Middle East and North Africa.

Large Oil Discovery Generates Hope, Challenges in Guyana
In a country with no history of oil production, the Liza field’s size and potential quick development timeline have all eyes focused on the ways in which oil could boost the country’s economy or put it at risk.

Frozen Fund: Reform of the Libyan Investment Authority
In cash-strapped Libya, unfreezing the assets of the Libyan Investment Authority, the country's sovereign wealth fund, looks to some like an easy way to cover a major budget deficit—however there might be good reason to stay the present course.

Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda Journalists Share Extractive Industry Lessons

Governance of Tunisia’s State-Owned Oil Company: Concrete Steps for Progress
A critical challenge, while leveraging transparency gains to improve Tunisia’s attractiveness for foreign investors, is to concentrate efforts on enhancing the governance and performance of the state-owned oil company, ETAP (Entreprise Tunisienne des Activités Petrolières).

Interested in Social and Environmental Impacts of Extraction?
NRGI is gathering information on the various tools and methodologies used to measure the non-fiscal costs and benefits of the extractive sector. Help us by completing a quick survey.

Improving Licensing Could Give Tajikistan a Shot in the Arm
Revitalizing Tajikistan's minerals sector, following the relatively successful example of Mongolia, could provide the government with much-needed tax revenues and create domestic services jobs. Eventually, this could help the 31 percent of Tajikistan’s population that lives below the poverty line. But improving extractives value chain transparency is a necessary first step to gain the confidence of foreign investors.