The workshop aims to strengthen the media and CSOs' roles to tackle corruption in the green minerals value chain, and to address the challenges of access to information in the green mineral sector.
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), through its Natural Resource Extractive Programme (NAREP), is set to convene a two-day capacity-building workshop on "Constraining Opportunities for Corruption in the African Mining Sector" under the Powering Just Energy Transition (JET) Minerals Challenge project.
With funding support from USAID, the workshop will host 25 journalists from 10 media organisations and one representative each from five Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria.
Intervention's target
In a statement issued by the organisation on Tuesday, a copy of which was shared with PREMIUM TIMES, the workshop aims to strengthen the media and CSOs' roles in tackling corruption in the green minerals value chain and to address the challenges of access to information in the green mineral sector.
The statement noted that as the global transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources accelerates, the mining industry has become a critical sector in achieving the global energy transition agenda.
However, it said despite its abundant mineral resources, the Nigerian solid minerals sector is plagued by secrecy, corruption, and numerous environmental and human rights issues.
The organisation decried that the operations of Nigerian extractive players, particularly mining operators, are largely shrouded in opacity, with minimal institutional transparency, noting that the lack of openness aids zero accountability, mismanagement of funds, revenue leakages, "and, above all, hinders the government's ability to meet its financial obligations and deliver development to its citizens."
The CJID's NAREP Project Manager, Felicia Dairo, said: "In response to these enormous challenges plaguing the sector, CJID is organising the workshop to equip media and civil society organisations working in the accountability sector in select countries to foster the implementation of significant transparency and accountability interventions required to reform the green mineral sector.
"We recognise that the media and CSOs play a huge role in upholding democratic accountability, however, they are limited by the lack of data and evidential information required to carry out their assignments effectively. Therefore, this workshop hopes to fill the knowledge gap and enhance participants' capacity to expose the corrupt practices around the critical minerals value chain that is central to the energy transition campaign."
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About the workshop
This workshop, Mrs Dairo said, is the first of four capacity-building training sessions for critical stakeholders across Nigeria, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Mozambique under the Powering Just Energy Transition (JET) Minerals Challenge project.
The Nigerian leg of the training is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, 22 May and Thursday, 23 May, in Abuja, the nation's capital.
The workshop, the project manager added, is an in-person event that will be led by identified experienced trainers and experts with diverse backgrounds.
"Following the workshop, CJID will support media organisations with investigative grants in pursuing investigative storytelling to uncover corrupt actors and issues across the green mineral value chain in Nigeria, while participating CSOs will be supported to embark on advocacy campaigns to hold corrupt state and non-state actors accountable."
