March 2020 News and Analysis from NRGI

News from NRGI
31 March 2020

Highlights

Amid Market Chaos, Oil Price Plunge a Warning to State-Owned Companies
NRGI’s Patrick Heller writes that leaders must consider risks and future market scenarios before allowing state oil companies to continue the “drill-collect-borrow-spend” cycle that has dominated their strategies.

Podcast: Africa’s Commodity-backed Debts to China
The China Africa Project interviewed NRGI’s David Mihalyi and Herve Lado about NRGI's recent research into resource-backed loans. The podcast complements other March coverage of the report’s findings by outlets including Forbes, Quartz Africa, RFI, Jeune Afrique and the BBC World Service.

Comments Reveal Overwhelming Support for Stronger U.S. Extractives Transparency Rule
A review of comments submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows that an overwhelming number of concerned parties, from small NGOs to corporate behemoths, have urged the regulatory body to align the rule with global payment transparency norms.

NRGI Impact: Guinea Realizes More Revenues From Mining, Publishes Contracts

After several years of support from NRGI, governance of Guinea’s mining sector has markedly improved, with increased investment, quadrupled bauxite production and increased tax revenues from the sector. A new, transparent cadaster facilitates the allocation of licenses and government monitoring of license obligations.

Events

Sector Extractivo: Sostenibilidad y Desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe
The second edition of this free Spanish-language massive online open course on resource governance is now open for enrollment. Register here.

Publications

Tangled Web: The Role of Oil, Gas and Mining in Funding Regional Governments in Indonesia
This report charts the expansion of Indonesia’s decentralized government as it relates to the sharing of natural resource revenues, investigates the challenges this creates, and offers some recommendations for reform and further investigation.

Blog

Tips for African Negotiators Doing Deals with China: Rebalancing Asymmetries
The authors of this post present experiences and lessons shared by African negotiators who have negotiated with Chinese entities. These best practices can help African governments to generate more value from future deals.

Caremongering in the Time of Coronavirus: Random Acts of Kindness, and Online Enrichment
NRGI's Daniel Kaufmann shares personal reflections on compassion during the pandemic, as well as some recommendations for self-soothing and enrichment in a time when many are living in isolation. (It's also available in Spanish.)

Research & Data Digest

Colleagues from NRGI’s Research, Data and Learning Team have released their first quarterly email update. You can learn more about open data and extractives governance, and benefit from the team’s tips on research produced by others in the field. Read the new edition and subscribe.