African journalists empowered to exert oversight on extractive industry

Efficient management of revenues generated from the extractive industry - oil, gas and mining - could help improve health care and education of the poor as well as serve as catalyst for economic growth.

This is achievable in emerging African economies if journalists are able to play an effective advocacy and oversight role over the sector.

To achieve this goal, a training program targeting journalists drawn from Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda has opened in Kampala, Uganda to expose participants to the critical issues surrounding the exploitation, management and utilization of oil, gas and mineral resources in their respective countries.

The 5th fellowship session is to introduce the participants to the fundamental issues concerning the exploitation, utilization, benefits, and challenges of oil, gas, and mineral resources, enriched with a global perspective.

It is organized by Revenue Watch Institute (RWI), in conjunction with Ghana's PenPlusBytes and the Africa Centre for Media Excellence (ACME).

Media Program Officer with RWI, George Lugalambi, at the course opening enjoined journalists to vigilant on issues of transparency, effective management and accountability in the extractives.

The ten-day training is under the theme: 'Strengthening Media Oversight of the Extractive Sectors: Reporting on Oil, Gas and Mining'. It is designed to help journalists develop the knowledge and skills to stimulate and feed public debate on how best to ensure that the proceeds from natural resources are used to serve the interests of a country and its citizens.

'The extractive sector revenues are important for wealth creation and poverty reduction in Africa. However, this promise can only be realized if all stakeholders especially the media are given the capacity to play an oversight role and we are delighted that this week in Kampala, we are going to support the knowledge and skills set of 30 journalists to enable them play this crucial role effectively,' stated Kwami Ahiabenu II, President of Penplusbytes.

The training programme begun in 2011 with the aim of increasing the quantity and quality of oil and gas stories. It has so far built the capacity of about 70 journalists to enable them play the critical role of helping inform and engage citizens, CSOs and parliament to effectively hold government and companies in the sector accountable.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh