NRGI trains Media and CSOs on identifying corruption in Ghana’s critical minerals value chain with Corruption Diagnostic Tool
The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) has held a training for the media, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and anti-corruption actors on the identification of corruption risks in Ghana’s extractive sector, particularly in the country’s critical minerals value chain.
The Corruption Diagnostic Tool recently relaunched with new insights from experiences in five countries, outlines seven steps that help the media, CSOs, anti-corruption actors and other users engage on sensitive topics, identify and understand major corruption issues, develop multi-stakeholder participation and support, and build and implement action plans to prevent future corruption.
Corruption in the mining sector can have devastating impacts on the country’s environment, the rights of the citizens, and the economy at large.
High profits, complex supply chains, and lack of transparency make the mining sector particularly vulnerable to corruption, and the heightened demand for minerals that are essential for the energy transition, such as lithium, further complicates this picture.
Booming demand of critical minerals may therefore lead to riskier behaviour from both private and public sector actors, leading to fast-tracked contracts with harmful consequences for communities and the environment.
According to NRGI’s Triple Win report, seventy percent of African countries with transition mineral reserves rank in the bottom half of indices measuring corruption. Anti-corruption actors in Ghana and other African countries have therefore been advised to be alert to the risks posed by new mining developments as it is crucial for governments, companies, and civil society to work together to prevent and combat corruption in the mining sector and promote transparency, accountability, and sustainable development.
Making a presentation on “Achieving Triple Win: How Mining Can Benefit Africa’s Citizens, their Environment and the Energy Transition”, Thomas Scurfied, Senior Economic Analyst at NRGI quipped good governance fundamentals in the mining industry is critical to helping curb corruption in the sector.
“Good governance fundamentals in the critical minerals value chain and by large the mining industry are right and critical, there must be ESIA disclosures in law and practice in African countries,” he noted, adding “Good governance is also a better way to attract more investors.”
The training on Corruption Diagnosis in the Critical Minerals Value Chain for the media, CSOs, and anti-corruption actors equipped professionals and stakeholders with the necessary skills and knowledge to identify, prevent, and combat corruption in the critical minerals industry.
The training covered various topics, including the types of corruption in the industry, the causes and consequences of corruption, and the best practices for diagnosing and preventing corruption.
Participants learned about frameworks that govern corruption in the critical minerals value chain, as well as the role of stakeholders in promoting transparency and accountability.
Overall, participants were equipped to develop a comprehensive understanding of corruption in the critical minerals value chain and how to effectively detect and address it.
