September 2015 News and Analysis from NRGI
Highlights
Reversing the Resource Curse: Apply Now for Budapest Course
NRGI and the School of Public Policy at Central European University are accepting applications for the advanced course Reversing the Resource Curse: Theory and Practice. This multi-stakeholder course is open to exceptional leaders from government, civil society, parliaments, media, international development agencies, and industry associations as well as academics, researchers and analysts from universities and think tanks. Scholarships covering travel, accommodation and full tuition costs are available on a competitive basis for leaders from government, civil society, parliaments, and media from Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda. The application deadline is 27 November 2015.
NRGI at the International Anti-Corruption Conference in Malaysia
NRGI experts spoke at three sessions of the IACC meetings in Malaysia earlier this month. NRGI president Daniel Kaufmann joined a plenary conversation on the role of anti-corruption and transparency in the fight against poverty. Watch the video here. As part of the conference, NRGI previewed an upcoming component of its portfolio, focusing on the mechanics of corruption in the extractive industries.
Recent Changes in the Nigerian Oil Sector
In the wake of the publication of Inside NNPC Oil Sales: A Case for Reform in Nigeria, NRGI's Alexandra Gillies spoke with The Cipher Brief about possible changes to governance of the country's troubled oil industry, and what observers might expect from President Buhari in the coming months.
"Corruption Matters" Now Available in Multiple Languages
In a piece published last month by Finance & Development, Daniel Kaufmann outlined the wide networks of corruption in the Latin America region. He wrote that transparency reform is essential as citizens are no longer willing to tolerate impunity and "the privatization of public policy." The article is now available in Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian.
Blog
High-Level Executive Course in Extractives Finishes at Oxford Twenty-nine participants from 13 countries — including Ghana, Chile, Uganda, Myanmar, Mongolia and Guinea — took part in NRGI's third annual Executive Course in Oil, Gas and Mining Governance in Oxford. The course is organized and developed by the Blavatnik School of Government and NRGI for senior government and private sector officials.
The Dodd-Frank Act, Project-Level Reporting, and Big Oil's Shaky Claims Over Competitive Disadvantage
In a detailed submission to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, economist Robert Conrad of Duke University recently shared his expert perspective on the critical importance of oil, gas and mining companies publicly reporting project-level payments to governments around the world.
Could Natural Resource Revenue Sharing Help Secure Peace in Myanmar?
In addition to being a key component of any long-term peace and security strategy, resource revenue sharing could help improve the quality of public investment in Myanmar and attract high-quality investors to the extractive sector. NRGI is studying the fiscal decentralization process and how resource revenue sharing—both intergovernmental transfers and tax assignments—could be implemented.
Briefings Offer MPs Synopsis of Key Extractives Topics
Parliamentarians have a crucial role to play in reviewing legislation on oil, gas and minerals, and in overseeing the government’s management of these sectors. In support of this unique mandate, NRGI has developed tailor-made briefings on select issues of particular relevance to parliaments, including revenue management, contracts, fiscal regimes and state-owned companies.
For First Time, Legal Community Takes Part in Francophone Africa Extractives Course
Citizens from resource-rich African countries are showing ever-greater interest in the management of extractive resources. Civil society members and journalists are demanding transparency and accountability.
EITI Expert: On Latin America Governance, a ‘Much Richer’ Conversation Taking Place
Thoughts from Francisco Paris, the EITI international secretariat’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, who attended the EITI Latin America Regional Conference in Lima. Government, civil society and corporate representatives met there to discuss pressing socio-environmental concerns in the region.
NRGI in the News and Around the Web
Financial Times [paywall]: Cash-strapped Nigeria to renegotiate contracts with oil majors
BBC: Myanmar, Mandalay and the Lady
Business Insider: There's a Triple Threat Facing Sovereign Wealth Investors
Reuters: Nigeria signs revised oil swaps after investigation: sources
East Asia Forum: Myanmar's mining investment and its discontents
This Day (Nigeria): Buhari: So Far, So Good
GhanaWeb: GNPC not for stock market
Petroleum Economist [paywall]: Nigeria's fresh start
Careers
NRGI is hiring. Learn more.
Resource Governance Index Recruiting Researchers and Peer Reviewers for 2016 Edition
Next year's iteration of the index will cover 79 countries. NRGI is recruiting researchers from across Africa, the Middle East and Latin America; full description of the role and a list of requirements here.
The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) helps people to realize the benefits of their countries’ endowments of oil, gas and minerals. We do this through technical advice, advocacy, applied research, policy analysis, and capacity development. We work with innovative agents of change within government ministries, civil society, the media, legislatures, the private sector, and international institutions to promote accountable and effective governance in the extractive industries. For more information, please see: www.resourcegovernance.org.
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