Monrovia, Liberia; Thursday, July 4, 2013: The Multi-stakeholders Steering Group (MSG) of the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) will tomorrow, July 5, 2013 begin a two-day retreat intended to review findings and recommendations from the Fourth EITI Reconciliation Report for Liberia and the Post Contract Award Process Audit. Both reports were endorsed and launched by the MSG on May 16, 2013.
The event will take place at the Baptist Seminary on the Robertsfield Highway. It will enable stakeholders to discuss opportunities and challenges surrounding the reports and identify practical areas for policy implementation in bringing improvements to the way Liberia’s resources are managed.
The retreat will bring together members of the MSG and other heads of line ministries and agencies involved with the oil, mining, agriculture, and forestry sectors along with senior technical staff of these agencies. Agencies expected to form part of the retreat include the General Auditing Commission (GAC), National Bureau of Concessions (NBC), National Investment Commission (NIC), National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy (MLME), Ministry of Finance (MOF), Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), Forestry Development Authority (FDA), and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). The LEITI has also invited Moore Stephens, LLP (London) and Ernst & Young (Ghana) to form part of the two-day event. Legal experts are also invited to provide overview of the recommendations contained in the 4th Reconciliation and Post Award Process Audit reports.
Day 1 will focus on the 4th EITI Reconciliation Report for Liberia prepared by the Reconciler, Ernst and Young (Ghana), captures all material payments of taxes, royalties, land/surface rentals and other administrative fees paid to, and acknowledged by the Government of Liberia by all oil, mining, forestry and agricultural companies for the period July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. Additionally, the report includes In-kind Contributions made by extractive companies, Revenue Tracking, and Amount Due. The report was also expanded to include payments reported by four other Government agencies including the Liberia Maritime Authority (LMA), the National Port Authority (NPA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA).
Day 2 will center on the Post Award Process Audit. The report covers 68 companies operating in the oil, mining, forestry and agricultural sectors whose contracts, licenses and permits and rights were granted/amended by the Government of Liberia for the period July 13, 2009 up to and including December 31, 2011. The objective was to ascertain whether these rights and permits were awarded in line with applicable Liberian Laws. The report shows that some of these contracts and permits were awarded either in full or partial compliance with the applicable Laws of the Republic of Liberia while others failed to meet the requirements. The audit/investigation was commissioned by the LEITI MSG in July 2011 and conducted by Moore Stephens LLP (London) in Collaboration with Parker and Associates (Liberia).
Meanwhile, the LEITI Secretariat will today, July 4, 2013 formally present the reports to the President of Liberia, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. The presentation ceremony will take place at the Executive Mansion in Monrovia at about 3:00pm.
The event will take place at the Baptist Seminary on the Robertsfield Highway. It will enable stakeholders to discuss opportunities and challenges surrounding the reports and identify practical areas for policy implementation in bringing improvements to the way Liberia’s resources are managed.
The retreat will bring together members of the MSG and other heads of line ministries and agencies involved with the oil, mining, agriculture, and forestry sectors along with senior technical staff of these agencies. Agencies expected to form part of the retreat include the General Auditing Commission (GAC), National Bureau of Concessions (NBC), National Investment Commission (NIC), National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy (MLME), Ministry of Finance (MOF), Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC), Forestry Development Authority (FDA), and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). The LEITI has also invited Moore Stephens, LLP (London) and Ernst & Young (Ghana) to form part of the two-day event. Legal experts are also invited to provide overview of the recommendations contained in the 4th Reconciliation and Post Award Process Audit reports.
Day 1 will focus on the 4th EITI Reconciliation Report for Liberia prepared by the Reconciler, Ernst and Young (Ghana), captures all material payments of taxes, royalties, land/surface rentals and other administrative fees paid to, and acknowledged by the Government of Liberia by all oil, mining, forestry and agricultural companies for the period July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. Additionally, the report includes In-kind Contributions made by extractive companies, Revenue Tracking, and Amount Due. The report was also expanded to include payments reported by four other Government agencies including the Liberia Maritime Authority (LMA), the National Port Authority (NPA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA).
Day 2 will center on the Post Award Process Audit. The report covers 68 companies operating in the oil, mining, forestry and agricultural sectors whose contracts, licenses and permits and rights were granted/amended by the Government of Liberia for the period July 13, 2009 up to and including December 31, 2011. The objective was to ascertain whether these rights and permits were awarded in line with applicable Liberian Laws. The report shows that some of these contracts and permits were awarded either in full or partial compliance with the applicable Laws of the Republic of Liberia while others failed to meet the requirements. The audit/investigation was commissioned by the LEITI MSG in July 2011 and conducted by Moore Stephens LLP (London) in Collaboration with Parker and Associates (Liberia).
Meanwhile, the LEITI Secretariat will today, July 4, 2013 formally present the reports to the President of Liberia, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. The presentation ceremony will take place at the Executive Mansion in Monrovia at about 3:00pm.
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