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MONROVIA, Liberia — The Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) Secretariat has begun a nationwide dissemination of its 16th LEITI Summary Report, bringing key information about Liberia’s extractive sector directly to communities to strengthen public understanding, citizen engagement, and accountability.
The dissemination, which is being conducted in line with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standard, is designed to make complex information contained in the full report easier for ordinary citizens to understand and use. The summary report presents key findings through simplified narratives, charts, and graphs, allowing communities to better understand how extractive companies operate, what they are required to contribute under their agreements, and what revenues the Government of Liberia receives.
The report covers Liberia’s extractive sector for fiscal year 2023 and is expected to provide communities with information they can use to engage government officials, concessionaires, traditional leaders, lawmakers, and other stakeholders.
For communities located in areas where mining, forestry, agriculture, oil, and other concession-related activities take place, information about concession agreements and payments can directly affect how citizens understand development commitments and engage with decision-makers.
Through the dissemination exercise, LEITI aims to bridge the information gap between concession agreements and the communities where companies operate.
The initiative is expected to help citizens answer practical questions such as: Which companies are operating in our county? What commitments have they made to the Government? What payments have they made? How much has the Government received? And what obligations are contained in their concession agreements?
By making this information available at the community level, LEITI hopes to create greater opportunities for evidence-based discussions and constructive engagement between citizens, government authorities, companies, and community leaders.
The information could also help reduce misunderstandings that sometimes contribute to tensions in concession-affected communities. By providing communities with verified information about payments and contractual commitments, citizens can distinguish between documented obligations and perceptions or misinformation surrounding the operations of extractive companies.
major focus of the exercise is to enable citizens to participate more meaningfully in discussions about the use and management of Liberia’s natural resources.
LEITI expects the dissemination to stimulate public debate within communities and increase citizens’ awareness of transparency and accountability in the extractive sector.
With better access to information, citizens will be better positioned to engage their leaders during county sittings and other public forums, ask questions about concession operations, and seek clarification on commitments made by companies and government.
The exercise is also intended to support lawmakers and other public officials with accessible information that can contribute to discussions and reviews of concession agreements.
To ensure nationwide coverage, the LEITI Secretariat has divided Liberia into four dissemination regions.
Region One comprises Lofa, Bong, and Nimba counties, while Region Two covers Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, and Gbarpolu.
Region Three includes Margibi, Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Montserrado, and Sinoe, while Region Four comprises Maryland, Grand Gedeh, River Gee, and Grand Kru counties.
LEITI focal persons in the respective counties are coordinating the local arrangements, including mobilizing participants, identifying venues, and ensuring the participation of key stakeholders.
The dissemination is deliberately designed to include a broad cross-section of society. Participants include women, youth, elders, persons with disabilities, company representatives, civil society organizations, community-based organizations, town and paramount chiefs, county superintendents, city mayors, district commissioners, development partners, and other community stakeholders.
During the sessions, LEITI dissemination teams will use summary reports, charts, graphs, and other visual materials to explain the findings in practical and accessible ways.
The impact of the exercise will ultimately depend not only on how many people receive the report, but also on whether communities are able to use the information to engage decision-makers and hold stakeholders accountable.
For citizens in concession-affected areas, access to reliable information can provide a stronger foundation for dialogue with companies and government authorities. It can also help communities better understand the responsibilities of concessionaires and the government’s role in enforcing contractual obligations.
The exercise therefore seeks to promote a culture in which citizens do not simply receive information about Liberia’s natural resources, but are equipped to ask informed questions, participate in public discussions, and demand greater transparency in the management of the country’s extractive wealth.
The nationwide exercise is being supported financially by the Government of Liberia and GIZ, whose support LEITI has acknowledged as critical to taking extractive-sector information beyond Monrovia and into communities across the country.
As Liberia continues to depend on its natural resources for government revenue, employment, investment, and local development, initiatives such as the LEITI summary report dissemination provide communities with an opportunity to better understand how the sector works, and to participate more effectively in conversations about how the country’s natural resources are managed.
