Statement from the EITI International Secretariat
We note the BBC Panorama documentary “the $10 Billion Energy Scandal” on Sunday 2 June and subsequent statements regarding the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Validation of Senegal.
Senegal was admitted as an EITI member country in October 2013. In accordance with the EITI Standard, all EITI implementing countries are subject to period evaluation (“Validation”). The Validation of Senegal commenced in July 2017. The Board agreed an assessment on 8 May 2018 (here), in which Senegal was found to have made “satisfactory progress” in implementing the 2016 EITI Standard.
Validation focuses on adherence to the EITI’s requirements on stakeholder engagement and government and company disclosures, and lays out key information about the governance of the sector. Stakeholders can raise concerns regarding adherence to these requirements at any time (see here). Validation is not an audit or an investigation into alleged incidents of financial malpractice.
The EITI reporting process is managed at the national level. Since Senegal became an implementing country in October 2013, the multi-stakeholder group in Senegal has published five EITI Reports, covering the years 2013 to 2017. The reporting therefore does not cover 2012 which is when many of the alleged licensing activities occurred.
Therefore, the EITI has not made any judgement on this case through validation or any other process. It is hoped that it has provided information subsequent to 2012 which can inform further investigation and debate into this matter.
Background
Senegal was admitted as an EITI member country in October 2013. A multi-stakeholder group - the "Comité National ITIE” - was established comprising government, industry and civil society representatives. Additional information is available here. The multi-stakeholder group MSG has subsequently published five EITI Reports:
The first report covering the fiscal period 2013 was published in October 2015 (here)
The second report covering 2014 was published in November 2016 (here)
The 2015 and 2016 reports were published in October 2017 (here)
The 2017 report was published in November 2018 (here)
These reports were produced by an independent administrator and endorsed by the multi-stakeholder group. The reports address the EITI requirements relating to license allocations, including the process for transferring or awarding the licenses (requirement 2.2.i) and any material deviations from the applicable legal and regulatory framework governing license transfers and awards (requirement 2.2.iv). The Comité National ITIE issued a statement on 12 June (here).
The documentation relating to the EITI’s Validation of Senegal in 2017 is available here, including the initial assessment by the International Secretariat, the review by the Independent Validator, the comments from Senegal’s multi-stakeholder group, and the EITI Board’s decision.
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