A Message from NRGI President and CEO Daniel Kaufmann

Dear friends and colleagues,

Greetings from Europe, where we are gathered with our global management team this week, charting our plans ahead during these exciting times, full of challenges and opportunities.

Some of you may already know that in recent weeks I had the honor of introducing to a global audience an innovative, unique project that embodies the collaborative spirit, methodological rigor and core mission of the Natural Resource Governance Institute.

The Resource Governance Index (RGI) is, as our NRGI board chair Ernesto Zedillo mentioned during the report’s global launch, the organization’s flagship product. The result of extensive teamwork between NRGI staff and many other experts in the field outside the organization, it is a critical tool for governments, companies, international organizations, media and civil society looking to gauge country performance in the resource governance space.

The index measures the quality of resource governance in 81 countries that together produce 82 percent of the world’s oil, 78 percent of its gas and a significant proportion of minerals, including 72 percent of all copper. It is the product of 89 country assessments (eight countries were assessed in two sectors). It was put together by 150 researchers, utilizing nearly 10,000 supporting documents addressing 149 specialized questions, complementing other data.

Under the purplish lights of London’s striking LSO St Luke’s, a repurposed Georgian church, NRGI research and data director Liz McGrath welcomed the audience of more than 100. President Zedillo gave a keynote address, and I presented the RGI results. We were joined onstage by Ghana Deputy Minister of Energy Mohammed Amin Adam; International Council on Mining and Metals COO Aidan Davy; CEO of Crystol Energy and founder of Access for Women in Energy Carole Nakhle; Publish What You Pay executive director Elisa Peter; and Open Society Foundations’ Sean Hinton.

A vibrant discussion of the RGI results took place, including on the implications of the accomplishments and pending challenges for some countries—Dr. Adam provided some insights on Ghana—as well as on the paramount importance of addressing corruption and restricted civic space in many countries. Carole Nakhle observed: “Globally, the more liberal and participatory a country’s system is, the better its ranking [in the index].”

The index offers myriad leads and angles for journalists to pursue and develop. The index has been featured in, among other outlets, the Financial Times, which focused on Saudi Aramco’s transparency ahead of a stock market flotation and worldwide natural resource governance; Reuters, which singled out the lack of oversight and transparency of Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund; The Economist, where editors parsed the data to explore resource governance in OPEC countries; and the Brookings Institution blog, which focused on resource governance in Africa. The index has also been covered by RFI, the Jakarta Globe and other important outlets. (A longer list of coverage is available here.)

As the global launch event transpired in London, NRGI’s staff introduced the index in simultaneous launches in locations where we work, such as Accra, Bogotá, Conakry, Kinshasa, Lima and Mexico City. Subsequently, related events have taken place in Baku, Bishkek, Jakarta, Kyiv, Tunis, Ulaanbaatar and Yangon. In Accra, deputy ministers, parliamentarians and private sector leaders attended the launch and discussed the differential performance of the oil versus the lower-rated mining sector, and the drafting of a mineral revenue management bill. In Mexico City, an event was held with our NGO partner Fundar.

Beyond the RGI global report and composite index, we also offer a major new database that is useful as a country diagnostic providing empirical guidance to researchers, advocates, practitioners and policy-makers in 81 countries. Country-specific events will continue. Policy analysis and advocacy emerging from the extensive dataset will proceed, as well.

Ultimately, the Resource Governance Index is a core component of NRGI’s mission to help people realize the benefits of their countries’ natural resources. We are thrilled to share it with you.

With thanks and best wishes,

Daniel Kaufmann
President and CEO