Let’s turn Africa’s resource curse into a blessing
I am Chairperson of Publish What You Pay Uganda and work for an organisation called Global Rights Alert. In Uganda we are striving to ensure that the recently discovered oil in our country helps us fight poverty, disease and develop economically. Too often African countries rich in natural resources have been plagued by instability, corruption and huge inequality – look at our immediate neighbours, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
We need to make sure this doesn’t happen here.
The first step to ensuring oil is a blessing and not a curse is transparency—we need all companies to disclose exactly how much they pay governments for the right to extract natural resources. Armed with such useful information, we are then able to hold our governments to account. Having access to this information challenges vested interests – our colleagues have suffered arrest and harassment in campaigning for transparency – but ultimately it is in the interest of all our citizens that there is access to this information.
You can help to make sure that this happens not just in Uganda but in all developing countries rich in natural resources by asking the UK Chancellor, George Osborne, to take action.
Click here to add your name to the petition asking him to make a public statement of support.
The petition reads:
Please make a public statement in support of laws across the EU that will require big oil, gas and other extractive companies to declare exactly how much they are paying developing country governments.
Real momentum is building this year to get this information made public. The United States has already passed a law requiring its companies to publish what they pay other governments and France’s President Sarkozy recently declared his support for similar laws across the EU.
With a major international conference on this issue taking place next month, a statement of support by the UK Chancellor would significantly boost the chances of laws being developed across the EU.
Together we can ensure that natural resources benefit all citizens, not just corrupt elites.
With thanks,
Winnie Ngabiirwe
Winnie Ngabiirwe
Executive Director, Global Rights Alert and Chairperson, Publish What You Pay – Uganda
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17/02/2011 at 4:25 pm
This is a really important issue, especially at this important time in Uganda.
Will you be promoting the Natural Resource Charter? http://www.naturalresourcecharter.org/
17/02/2011 at 5:15 pm
What saddens me more than anything is the amount of money that is donated by the general public and Governments ONLY a fraction of this reaches those that need it & the regimes such as Mr Mugabe’s which has bleed his country dry & blames others for the demise of Uganda – Rather than give money Aid should build schools or hospitals – The corporates do not give much for anything other than their profits and dividends to shareholders who demand more and more
19/02/2011 at 4:41 am
@ Sarah, sure the Natural Resource Charter is on our agenda. Thanks for the link
21/02/2011 at 1:27 am
http://www.platformlondon.org/carbonweb/documents/uganda/Cursed_Contracts_Uganda_PLATFORM_CSCO_Tullow_Heritage_2010_February.pdf
01/03/2011 at 5:28 pm
very good tahnks
20/07/2011 at 12:21 pm
Its good that these companies be obliged to pulish what they pay, are they also going to publish what they retain? it would be interestingt to know how much sips out of the country as profits, perhaps it will push the government to move towards greater ownership of the resource than just depending on taxes
20/07/2011 at 1:10 pm
This oil resource needs to be tackled early seeing what goes on in the resource rich African countries. Am glad we have lots of examples to see the good and bad of oil. We should do better than Nigeria and Angola because they give us useful lessons from different perspectives.I welcome any move/idea that advances transparency in the oil revenue and the manner in which it is spent. If we succeed with transparency, we will only be left to read the turmoil in other countries in the books of history! we will secure a better future for our children, that should motivate everyone to act now