President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has reaffirmed Government’s commitment to promoting transparent resource governance by supporting the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) process in Liberia.

President Sirleaf’s renewed assurance to the resource governance process was made on Tuesday during a brief meeting with LEITI Acting Head of Secretariat Konah D. Karmo; Technical Officer Beneta Ackah and Communications Officer Samson Wonnah at her Foreign Ministry Office in Monrovia. The meeting was arranged following LEITI’s presentation of the 5th EITI Report of Liberia to the President.

Briefing the Liberian leader on the status of the EITI process in Liberia at the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Karmo highlighted several progress made by the Initiative including the publication of the 5th EITI Report and LEITI’s recent efforts to disclose the beneficial ownership of extractive companies in the country to ensure that Liberians truly benefit from their resources. 

Regarding the EITI report, Mr. Karmo said, the LEITI has strived to improve the contents of Liberia’s reports significantly overtime, with great amount of relevant data and contextual information added to ensure that disclosure is comprehensive and the information is understood by citizens. He noted that beyond reporting taxes and revenue data, the current report also tracked the allocation of the revenue; the full amount due as taxes to be paid by the companies, In-kind Contributions from the companies and contextual information such as the extractive sector’s contribution to the national GDP and overall employment.

He noted that the 5th Report reveals that the extractive companies due government over Thirty Million United States Dollars in taxes and called for collaboration with the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) in claiming and collecting these needed revenues.

The LEITI Boss however noted that despite these gains, the Agency is faced with several challenges including funding, logistics and staffing constraints. He disclosed that budgetary allocations for the LEITI have declined drastically over the past years. Mr. Karmo called on the government and other stakeholders to address these issues particularly given that Liberia faces its second validation by the International EITI Secretariat in 2015.

Responding to these concerns, President said her government will commit everything it takes to sustain the EITI process in Liberia. She said the basic issues raised, including implementation of recommendations from the Post Award Process Audit Report launched by the LEITI in May 2013, will be discussed and addressed urgently.

                                                                                                                                                  Samson Wonnah
                                                                                                                                                  Monrovia, September 23, 2

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Fourth Estate!

We do call you today, to, on behalf of the Multi-stakeholders Steering Group (MSG) of the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), formally launch the 5th EITI Report for Liberia.

As you may be aware, publication of the EITI Report is one of the core functions of LEITI, and it requires public disclosure of revenue and tax payment data from the extractive sector. This is intended to promote transparent resource management, so that Liberians benefit from the proceeds of their resources.

The 5th Report, commissioned by the MSG on June 19, 2014 and prepared by Ernst & Young and MGI-Monbo and Company, contains reconciled accounts of payments made to, and revenues received by the Government of Liberia from the oil, mining, forestry and agricultural companies during the Fiscal Year July 1, 2011 up to and including June 30, 2012.

The Report shows that the total amount received by nine (9) agencies of Government from the oil, mining, forestry and agriculture sectors for the period under review amounted to One Hundred and Ten Million, One Hundred Forty-Six Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty-Seven United States Dollars (US$110,146,657), while payment data supplied by eighty (80) companies amounted to One Hundred Million, Eight Hundred and Nine Thousands, Eight Hundred and Nineteen United States Dollars (US$100,809,819). This means that the Government of Liberia acknowledged receiving Nine Million, Three Hundred Thirty-Six Thousand, Eight Hundred and Thirty Dollars more in revenue than what the companies reported as taxes paid. 

The net discrepancy can be attributed to two factors. Firstly, the Government reported receipts for some companies, but those companies, as well as Artisanal Miners and Pit Sawyers, did not submit payment data to the Reconcilers. Secondly, some companies submitted payment data, but the differences could not be reconciled due to lack of adequate information provided to the Reconcilers.

The 5th Report also includes payment data of In-kind Contributions made by extractive companies to the local communities and public institutions; Revenue Tracking, and Amount Due for all fixed amounts. In light of the New EITI Standard, the 5th Report as well substantially reflects contextual information such as the DGP per sector. 

The preparation of the Report and its launch today is not the end of the campaign. Part of the process is to discuss the findings of the report with the citizens and solicit their views on the recommendations as they are the true owners of the resources. Hence, the launch of the reports will be followed by massive dissemination exercises including extensive outreach throughout the fifteen counties of Liberia, once funding is secured. Additionally, the MSG is committed to further reviewing the findings and recommendations of the Report with the aim of identifying areas for policy implementation.

These initiatives are very crucial and cannot be achieved without the participation of all stakeholders of the LEITI process including you members of the press. In your traditional role as Agenda Setters, the LEITI depends on you to raise the platform of the EITI process in Liberia; to create awareness and educate the public on the findings of this Report and other studies done and initiatives undertaken to promote transparent resource management in Liberia. The Report launched today is voluminous, over a hundred and fifty pages. Not every member of the public—even the reading public, may have access to a copy or appreciate to read such a volume. Your role is to synthesize the information and educate the public.

We look forward to a collaborative effort that will ensure increased transparency in the management of the country’s vast natural resources.

Thanks!

Participants at the just ended Peer-to-Peer Learning Visit intended to enhance implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) between Liberia and Sierra Leon say they have gained a lot from Liberia’s experiences in EITI implementation.

The Learning Tour, made by six delegates from the Sierra Leone Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (SLEITI) to Monrovia from May 26-30, 2014, was designed to promote experience and knowledge sharing on EITI implementation between Liberia and Sierra Leone. 

Speaking on Friday at the Len Millar High School in Monrovia during a special youth engagement meeting that climaxed the visit, the Acting Coordinator of SLEITI, Madam Mina Horace said, the tour has enabled Sierra Leone to learn a lot from Liberia’s achievements in the EITI implementation.

Key amongst the experiences learned from Liberia, which she said would be crucial to moving forward the EITI program in Sierra Leone, include the autonomy of the Secretariat and the many effective approaches LEITI uses to communicate the EITI. Madam Horace also observed, following a visit to the Sime Darby’s Plantation in western Liberia, that concessionaires in Liberia seem to be more responsive to fulfilling their corporate social responsibilities, noting, her delegation will convey the message to the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure that the people in her homeland benefit from the extraction of their resources.

Another member of the SLEITI Delegation, Mr. Mohammed Saluisi, who represents the SLEITI Multi-stakeholders Steering Group (MSG) said, the visit was very rewarding, and that no other venue would have been better than Liberia given the country’s impressive track records in EITI implementation. Mr. Saluisi then called for a full exchange program, hoping that the Liberian EITI will visit Sierra Leone some days.

Also speaking, LEITI Acting Head of Secretariat Konah D. Karmo said, the program truly supported learning between the two countries. He noted that while Liberia is regarded as a road model in EITI implementation, evidenced by the several gains the country has made over the years, the tour also enabled the Liberian EITI to learn from the progress, challenges and opportunities of Sierra Leone.   

The learning exchange focused on Legislative Framework for EITI Implementation, Secretariat Operations, Communications and stakeholders’ engagement in the EITI and challenges and opportunities relating to preparing the EITI Reconciliation Report. Also considered was how political will can impact the success or failure of a country’s EITI program.   

To facilitate the learning, the delegates also met with key policy makers in Liberia including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Alex Tyler; the President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Honorable Gbehzongar M. Findley and the Co-Chairman of the House Committee on Mines, Hon. R. Matonekay Tingbah. The delegates also paid a tour visit to Sime Darbay’s Plantation in Bomi, western Liberia, to get experience of how extractive companies’ operations support EITI implementation in Liberia.

Sierra Leone was recognized as EITI Compliant by the international EITI Board on 26 April 2014. EITI compliance entails that the country regularly publishes the government's revenues from its natural resources. The government of Sierra Leone sees the EITI as central plank of its efforts to reform the management of natural resources, which is the second pillar of the country's National Agenda for Prosperity.

Liberia signed on to the EITI in 2005 and was the first African country to become compliant in 2009. The Liberian EITI has made tremendous achievements in the global EITI implementation records. Liberia is the first country globally to include Agriculture and Forestry in its EITI program; the first country to expand its EITI scope to include Contract Transparency; and one of few countries that have regularly published their EITI Reports. Liberia also launched its Post Contract Award Process Audit Report in May 2013, the first of its kind in the EITI implementation.

The LEITI Secretariat, on Wednesday, February 19, 2014 visited the Sime Darby Concession Plantation in Matambo, Bomi County, assessing major facilities at the plantation.  

The visit attended by LEITI Head of Secretariat Samson S. Tokpah; Deputy Head of Secretariat Konah D. Karmo; Technical Officer Benetta Ackah and Communications and Outreach Officer Samson Wonnah, is part of efforts by the Secretariat to enhance collaboration and understanding amongst stakeholders of the EITI process.

Mr. Roslin Azmyhassan, Sime Darby Head of Project, in an introductory statement said, the meeting was necessary to allow the company share with the Secretariat, some of the many contributions it is making towards sustainable economic growth and human development in Liberia.

Highlighting some of these contributions in a lengthy Power Point presentation, Mr. Azmyhassan said, the companies has up to date employed over 2,600 Liberians as against the 1,500 workforce earlier proposed for each plantation and has also constructed over 180 housing units meeting modern standards, to accommodate these employees and their dependants. He also said that each housing estate has been provided with a high school, a clinic and a day care center where parents could take their infants while away from home.

The Sime Darby Head of Project also noted that contrary to the negative image being created by the media and some NGOs, the company is fully committed to responsible business practices and remain accountable to the government and the communities. “We have signed up and are committed to many international protocols promoting responsible business”

Dispelling reports that the company was encroaching on the communities’ land, Mr. Azmyhassan said that Sime Darby recognizes the community’s land rights and has left untouched all land regarded sacred by the communities for burial, religious and other purposes, as well as left buffer zones to allow the local engage in farming. “In fact, we are still operating within the same limit that Gutherie operated. We have not gone beyond and have not encroached on anyone’s property”.

A tour of the Central Clinic in the plantation show huge flow of patients including children, pregnant women and aged people. Mr. Sam T. Moore, the Head Physician at the Clinic said, the Clinic has the highest patient intake in the community with a daily flow of about 100 persons. He said the upkeep of the Clinic including drug supplies and compensation for staff is solely funded by the Sime Darby. He said, the Clinic has 12 rooms with short stay and laboratory facilities.

The Visiting LEITI staff also toured the Bomi Estate Elementary and Junior High School in the plantation, where over 500 students were in attendance. Mr. S. Daffa Zinna a Teacher said, the school has a current enrollment of over 800 students mostly comprising of dependents of the company’s employees as well as other children from the nearby communities.

Mr. Azmyhassan said, despite all the progress made by the company, one of their major challenges remains the negative propaganda they have received in the media. However, he noted that the communities are now recognizing their contributions and are welcoming them in almost every quarter.

For his part, LEITI Boss Samson S. Tokpah call for increased collaboration that will ensure the LEITI understands what Sime Darby and all other extractive companies are doing and that they too understand the EITI process and are contributing to resource transparency.

Wednesday’s visit was a follow-up to the Secretariat’s meeting with four Agricultural companies last week—including Sime Darby—during which discussions were held on several issues relating to improving relations and collaborations amongst stakeholders of the process.

The LEITI Secretariat on February 5, 2014, continues with the “naming and shaming” exercise of companies that have failed to submit reporting templates for the 5th EITI Reporting.

The exercise, which is the first of its kind in the history of the LEITI,  involves displaying on the major streets of Monrovia, the names of these companies printed on pull-up banners. To attract public attention on the messages being displayed, the LEITI also posted alongside each of the banners, “LEITI men”, a method that has become a popular part of the LEITI Communications Strategy.

This public censure exercise started last week when the LEITI Secretariat published the names of these companies in major dailies and aired them on radio stations throughout the country.

Today’s exercise attracted Liberians from different sectors, including marketers, students and journalists, who crowded the banner sites in their hundreds to view the messages being carried.

The exercise is part of a progressive sanction regime mandated by the LEITI MSG Regulation of 2009, and the revised LEITI Communication Strategy. It is intended to strengthen the LEITI Reporting Process.

 The 5thReconciliation Report covers the Fiscal Year July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. Below are the names of the companies by sectors.


Agriculture
1.    Liberia Agriculture Development Corp
2.    Liberia Forest Product
3.    LIBINC Oil Palm
4.    Sime Darby
5.    The Liberia Company

Forestry
1.    B&V Timber Company
2.    Bargor&Bargor Enterprise
3.    Ecowood Incorporated
4.    Euro Liberia Logging
5.    Geblo Logging Inc.
6.    International Consultant Capital
7.    Liberia Hard Wood Corp.
8.    Thunder Bird International
Mining
1.    Aquarian Commercial Holdings Inc.
2.    Amlib United Minerals Ltd
3.    Ascension Resources Ltd
4.    BukonJeddeh Resources Ltd
5.    Investment Development Corporation
6.    KonbloBumi Inc.
7.    Liberia Development Initiative
8.    Middle Island Resources
9.    Mount Belle Resources Liberia Ltd
10. Planet Minerals Limited
11. Shankil Resources Inc.
12. Southern Cross
13. Thacket Mining Inc.
14. Viola International Inc.

The Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) in collaboration with its Independent Administrator (Ernst & Young Ghana/MGI Monbo & Company) is reconciling all payments from the oil, mining, agriculture and forestry sectors to the Government of Liberia from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. As part of its mandate, the LEITI requested all entities operating in these sectors to submit reporting templates of payments made to the government for the period under review and in support of its 5th Reconciliation Report.  

It is important to note that after series of extension in deadlines from November 22, December 20, 2013 and January 15, 2014 the below listed companies have not submitted reporting templates as required.

LEITI is therefore constrained to enforce the Multi-Stakeholder Steering Group (MSG) Regulation of 2009 which in part calls for Public Censure.  Failure to submit reporting templates may lead to additional sanction by the LEITI MSG. The companies concern are:

Agriculture

1.    Liberia Agriculture Development Corp

2.    Liberia Forest Product

3.    LIBINC Oil Palm

4.    Sime Darby

5.    The Liberia Company

Forestry

1.    B&V Timber Company

2.    Bargor & Bargor Enterprise

3.    Ecowood Incorporated

4.    Euro Liberia Logging

5.    Geblo Logging Inc.

6.    International Consultant Capital

7.    Liberia Hard Wood Corp.

8.    Thunder Bird International

Mining

1.    Acquarian Commercial Holdings Inc.

2.    Amlib United Minerals Ltd

3.    Ascension Resources Ltd

4.    Bukon Jeddeh Resources Ltd

5.    Investment Development Corporation

6.    Konblo Bumi Inc.

7.    Liberia Development Initiative

8.    Middle Island Resources

9.    Mount Belle Resources Liberia Ltd

10. Planet Minerals Limited

11. Shankil Resources Inc.

12. Southern Cross

13. Thacket Mining Inc.

14. Viola International Inc.

Signed: ____________________

             LEITI Secretariat

 

Press Release 

Monrovia, Liberia; November 24, 2013: Participants at the just ended Learning Exchange Program intended to enhance implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in the African region say they have gained a lot from Liberia’s experiences in EITI implementation.

The South-South Learning Exchange Program, held in Monrovia from November 17-23, 2013, was sponsored by the World Bank and the LEITI; and was designed to promote experience and knowledge sharing on EITI implementation amongst Liberia, Tanzanian and Ethiopia. 

Speaking on Friday at the Royal Grand Hotel in Monrovia during a farewell dinner climaxing the program, Ethiopian State Minister for Planning and Policy Implementation, His Excellency Ato Addisu Arega who headed the Ethiopian Delegation said, the tour has enabled his country to learn a lot from Liberia’s achievements in the EITI implementation.

Minister Arega, who responsibilities also include monitoring the Agriculture and Forestry Sectors in Ethiopia said, the lessons learned from the exchange program will enhance Ethiopia’s quest to become EITI Complaint.

Also speaking, LEITI Head of Secretariat Samson S. Tokpah said, the program truly supported learning amongst the three countries. He noted that while Liberia is regarded as a road model in EITI implementation, evidenced by the several gains the country has made over the years, the study tour also enabled the Liberian EITI to learn from the progress, challenges and opportunities of the other countries. “We have also learned a lot from you,” Mr. Tokpah said to the Ethiopian and Tanzanian delegations in a closing remark.    

The learning exchange focused on Legislative Framework for EITI Implementation, Secretariat Operations, Forestry Sector Monitoring, Mining, as well as general stakeholders’ involvement in the EITI process. It was also intended to enhance the capacity of the steering committees to lead the effective implementation of EITI; strengthen good governance of natural resources for poverty reduction as well as advance the multi-stakeholder dialogues and the participation of citizens in Natural Resource Management.

To facilitate the learning, the delegates also met with key policy makers in Liberia including Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boikai; EITI Board Member, Senate Pro-Tempore Gbehzongar Findley as well as Lands, Mines and Energy Minister Patrick Sendolo.

The delegates also paid a tour visit to Arcelor Mittal Liberia’s operations site in Buchanan on Friday, November 22, 2013, to get experience of how extractive companies’ operations support EITI implementation in Liberia. In Buchanan, the delegates met with county officials, representatives of civil society organizations, chiefs, elders and other community leaders, soliciting their feedbacks on the EITI process in Liberia. 

Tanzanian was declared EITI compliant in December 2012 and is in process to consolidate its achievements towards greater transparency in the EITI by creating a legal framework for natural resource management. The Ethiopian Government has expressed its desire to implement the EITI and is working to submit an application for an EITI candidate status.

Liberia signed on to the EITI in 2005 and was the first African country to become compliant in 2009. The Liberian EITI has made tremendous achievements in the global EITI implementation records. Liberia is the first country globally to include Agriculture and Forestry in its EITI program; the first country to expand its EITI scope to include Contract Transparency; and one of few countries that have regularly published their EITI Reports. Liberia also launched its Post Contract Award Process Audit Report in May 2013, the first of its kind in the EITI implementation.

Monrovia, Liberia; October 22, 2013: The Head of Secretariat of the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI), Samson S. Tokpah, has been named by the EITI International Secretariat as the “EITI Coordinator of the Month”.

The EITI is a global scheme aimed at promoting transparency over revenues from extractive resources, and is now been implemented in more than 40 countries. The award is given by the International Secretariat based in Oslo, Norway, to recognize the efforts of a National Coordinator from an EITI Implementing Country who has shown distinguished commitment in promoting the EITI process.

In a blog posted on the EITI website on October 21, 2013, the Secretariat described Mr. Tokpah’s interest and commitment to advancing resource transparency in Liberia as overwhelming.

Mr. Tokpah assumed the position of Head at the LEITI Secretariat about 23 months ago when the institution was faced with leadership and capacity constraints, but his commitment to the process has enabled the LEITI to make significant gains in discharging its functions.

Mr. Tokpah led the LEITI to produce the 4th EITI Report for Liberia and the Post Contract Award Process Audit Report, the first of its kind in the global EITI implementing records. Under Tokpah’s leadership, the LEITI also developed a strategic two-year work plan in which institutional priorities were identified and the stakeholder’s process strengthened.

Another key achievement credited to Mr. Tokaph, is the establishment of the Extractive Club Program, a LEITI outreach initiative aimed at increasing public awareness on the management of Liberia’s natural resources. The program is implemented at high schools, and is designed to allow participating students learn more about the extractive industries and contribute to policy decision making around the sector through series of activities, including on-campus series, peer-to-peer discussions, inter-high school debates, mentorship and field trips, amongst others.

Liberia has been a pace setter in the EITI Community, and the recent gains made by the LEITI under Tokpah’s administration has been lauded by many.

In its December 2012 Report, the United Nations Panel of Experts on Liberia hailed the LEITI for what it referred to as “steady progress made by the Agency in performing its mandate”. Others recently commending progress made by the LEITI include US Ambassador accredited to Liberia, Her Excellency Deborah R. Malac; Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to Liberia, Karin Landgren; and the World Bank that has linked Liberia’s increased transparency climate to the LEITI process.