- Resource Communities Need Useful Data, Not Just Reports – EITI
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has launched a new global framework aimed at helping governments, civil society and resource-producing communities move beyond disclosure of extractive sector data towards stronger accountability and better local development outcomes.
The practical toolkit, developed under the “Engaging Communities in a Just Transition” project with support from the Ford Foundation, is designed to make extractive sector information more accessible, relevant and useful to communities affected by oil, gas and mining operations.
Presenting the framework at the GHEITI Partners Roundtable on Subnational Extractive Governance in Accra, Sandra Milena Rojas, Senior Policy Officer of the EITI International Secretariat said the initiative responds to growing demands from communities for information that directly addresses their lived realities.
“We are moving beyond simply disclosing data towards ensuring that data leads to accountability,” she said.
“Producing reports alone is not enough. Information must be accessible, understandable and useful so communities can influence decisions and address the real impacts of extractive industries.”
The toolkit draws on lessons from pilot programmes implemented in Ghana, Colombia and Indonesia, where communities are dealing with the economic, environmental and social consequences of extractive activities as well as the wider implications of the global energy transition.
The initiative comes as EITI expands its focus from revenue transparency to deeper citizen participation, local accountability and the conversion of extractive revenues into tangible development benefits.
Sandra said field engagements during the first phase of the project revealed that many communities living close to extractive operations were either unaware of EITI reports or lacked the capacity to use the information to demand accountability from governments and companies.
Instead, communities asked practical questions linked to their daily lives. These included employment opportunities, environmental impacts, consultation processes, compensation, social spending and how extractive revenues are used by public institutions.
The engagements also showed growing local interest in expenditure tracking. Communities increasingly want to know not only how much companies pay to governments, but whether those revenues are translated into roads, schools, health facilities, livelihoods and other development projects.
According to Sandra, this shift is important because transparency without accountability does not automatically improve community welfare.
The new toolkit provides a flexible four-step framework that EITI implementing countries can adapt to local conditions. It guides stakeholders to identify community priorities, map relevant data, simplify technical information and sustain long-term engagement through trusted local structures.
Sandra noted that the EITI Standard already requires disclosures on several issues of direct relevance to communities, including subnational revenues, employment, social expenditure, environmental impacts and community consultations.
However, she said countries must increasingly look beyond formal reporting requirements and assess whether published information genuinely responds to community needs.
“We should continually ask ourselves whether the information we are providing truly meets community expectations,” she said.
A complementary communications guide has also been developed to help countries present extractive sector information in formats that ordinary citizens can understand. These include infographics, summary reports, videos, community radio programmes and other simplified communication tools.
Sandra cited Ghana’s use of local radio programmes after community engagements as an example of how communication can help sustain dialogue beyond formal stakeholder meetings.
She also stressed the importance of building on existing community institutions instead of creating parallel engagement structures. Trusted local organisations, she said, often provide a stronger foundation for participation, feedback and accountability.
Beyond community engagement, the toolkit encourages stronger collaboration among civil society organisations, companies and public institutions, while also helping to amplify local perspectives in national and global extractive sector policy discussions.
According to Sandra, the experiences gathered from Ghana, Colombia and Indonesia have now shaped a global resource containing more than 60 practical tools that can be adapted by EITI implementing countries.
The toolkit is currently available in English, French, Spanish and Russian, with the EITI International Secretariat encouraging governments, civil society groups and development partners to contribute additional resources and lessons.
The framework is particularly significant as countries intensify the production of critical minerals needed for the global energy transition. As demand rises for minerals used in renewable energy technologies, batteries and low-carbon infrastructure, communities in mining areas are expected to face new pressures over land, livelihoods, environmental protection and benefit-sharing.
Sandra said ensuring that communities are properly informed, consulted and involved in decision-making will be essential to building public trust and achieving sustainable development.
“The EITI model brings together government, companies and civil society because these complex challenges cannot be solved by one actor alone,” she said.
“Our goal is to ensure that transparency ultimately translates into accountability and better outcomes for communities.”
For resource-rich countries such as Ghana, the toolkit provides an opportunity to strengthen local participation in extractive governance and close the gap between national revenue reporting and community-level development expectations.
It also reinforces a growing policy lesson across the extractive sector: publishing data is only the first step. The real test is whether citizens can understand that data, use it, question it and influence decisions that affect their lives.
As communities demand jobs, environmental protection, fair compensation and visible development from extractive activities, EITI’s new roadmap could become an important instrument for making transparency more practical, more local and more accountable.
