From transparency to integrity: Four ways the EITI is advancing anti-corruption

The governance landscape over the past year was marked by shifting political priorities and renewed exposure of corruption risks in the extractive sector. Regulatory safeguards weakened in some jurisdictions, including the temporary suspension and later revision of elements of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Major donors, including the US, scaled back funding for anti-corruption programmes. 

At the same time, political instability and coups disrupted EITI processes in resource-rich countries such as Burkina Faso, Madagascar and Tanzania. High-profile allegations involving Pertamina in Indonesia, Bankers Petroleum in Albania and Gécamines in the DRC further underscored persistent vulnerabilities in the sector.

These developments highlight a central challenge: countries need strong oversight systems to manage natural resources responsibly and to minimise corruption risks.

These developments highlight a central challenge: countries need strong oversight systems to manage natural resources responsibly and to minimise corruption risks. Across implementing countries, the EITI continues to support this goal by improving access to data, promoting scrutiny and helping stakeholders detect and address corruption risks.

1. Shining a light on hidden interests

Through Opening Extractives (OE), the EITI is helping governments in 12 EITI implementing countries move beneficial ownership transparency from principle to practice. By disclosing who really owns extractive companies – and using this information in licensing and oversight – countries are addressing corruption channels built on anonymity, political exposure and opaque corporate structures.

• Over 70% of respondents to an independent evaluation of OE reported improved availability of beneficial ownership data.
• Nine of the 12 OE countries have introduced or advanced beneficial ownership transparency legislation with programme support, including Argentina, Armenia, Ghana, Liberia, the Philippines and Senegal.
• Regulators in Armenia used the register to verify a mining license application and found key documents submitted by a company not authorised by the Subsoil Department. The application was rejected, and forthcoming legislation is expected to bar re-application for up to 10 years.
• In Nigeria, a screening tool identified over 500 red flags in the sector, with 40% of flagged politically exposed persons (PEPs) drawn from the House of Representatives and 75% of irregular ownership cases concentrated in oil and gas. While not proof of wrongdoing, the findings are helping direct scrutiny to higher-risk actors.

2. Informing due diligence in mineral supply chains

In 2025, the EITI strengthened its support for companies seeking to understand and mitigate corruption risks in their mineral supply chains. The new Guide to using EITI data for due diligence outlines how companies can draw on information on payments, contracts, beneficial ownership, state-owned enterprise (SOE) transactions and export volumes to identify red flags and align their due-diligence approaches with OECD guidance.

The EITI now covers more than half of global copper production and around one-third of global lithium output – minerals central to the energy transition and increasingly subject to geopolitical competition.

With Chile’s admission this year, the EITI now covers more than half of global copper production and around one-third of global lithium output – minerals central to the energy transition and increasingly subject to geopolitical competition. Companies sourcing these minerals face growing expectations under evolving EU and OECD due-diligence regulations. EITI data provides a practical foundation for this work, offering quality-assured, public information that helps identify risks such as opaque ownership, non-competitive licensing and anomalies in state–company transactions.

3. Bringing state-owned enterprises and commodity trading into the open

SOEs and commodity trading have long been among the sector’s most opaque areas, yet they account for significant public revenues. Around one third of the USD 3.1 trillion disclosed through the EITI to date comes from SOE commodity sales. Improving oversight in these areas remains central to advancing accountability.

• A new SOE transparency handbook provides civil society with a five-step process to analyse SOE data, identify governance challenges and advocate reforms, supported by a consolidated mapping of SOE disclosures.
• The EITI’s SOE database now includes payment information for nearly 125 SOEs, enabling users to filter and compare high-risk revenue flows across countries and commodities.
• The EITI is assessing disclosures from eight major commodity trading companies (BP, ENI, Glencore, Gunvor, Pertamina, Shell, TotalEnergies and Trafigura). These disclosures, many of which are based on the EITI’s reporting guidelines, cover purchases of crude oil, refined products, gas and minerals from governments and SOEs.
• In 2025, an EITI cross-regional training brought together SOE representatives, regulators and civil society in Indonesia to strengthen understanding and use of SOE disclosures, demonstrating the growing demand for practical skills in SOE oversight. The Kyrgyz Republic has since developed legislative amendments to expand SOE disclosures, based on learnings from the workshop. 

4. Using EITI reporting to identify and address corruption

Since new anti-corruption provisions were introduced in the 2023 EITI Standard, several countries have increasingly used EITI reporting to identify corruption risks and guide policy and enforcement responses.

• Burkina Faso: The 2023 EITI Report draws on an ITIE-BF study, which estimates that illicit financial flows (IFFs) of certain minerals amounted to around USD 4.6 billion over the past decade. It also reported 23 cases of illegal gold possession and 21 regulatory breaches, with gold smuggling linked to money laundering and terrorist financing. Twenty-one trafficking networks were dismantled in 2023. The report recommended developing a national IFF strategy and digitalising gold-tracking systems.
• Malawi: Reporting highlighted governance challenges in artisanal and small-scale mining. Recorded gemstone production reached 20.4 tonnes, though actual output is likely higher due to smuggling and undeclared sales. The government has since expanded ASM formalisation, awareness campaigns and plans for gemstone marketing centres.
• Zambia: Zambia’s EITI reporting requires companies to disclose their anti-corruption policies, including how they use beneficial ownership data. 

Transparency delivers impact only when citizens, journalists and civil society can use it.

Across these areas, one thread is clear: transparency delivers impact only when citizens, journalists and civil society can use it. Safeguarding civic space remains essential. In 2025, EITI Validations monitored constraints in countries such as Niger, Peru, Tajikistan and the United Kingdom, while regional training helped civil society deepen its use of EITI data. As corruption risks evolve and political environments shift, protecting this space – and ensuring that disclosures lead to scrutiny, dialogue and reform – will remain central to turning transparency into integrity, and integrity into lasting accountability.