Access to Information and Transparency Provisions in Petroleum Laws in Africa: A Comparative Analysis

  • Peter G. Veit
  • Carole Excell
Part of the International Political Economy Series book series (IPES)

Abstract

Petroleum laws are being developed or reformed in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Recent discoveries of oil and natural gas in Ghana, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, and other countries have led to the development of more comprehensive petroleum regulatory regimes (BBC, 2012; Guardian, 2012). Established producers, such as Nigeria, have also taken steps to reform their laws to address new contexts and challenges, including national and international demands for increased scrutiny and transparency in the extractive industry sector. For example, several governments and corporations have endorsed the voluntary disclosure standards of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).1 In Africa, Nigeria (2007) and Liberia (2009) have passed EITI legislation (EITI, 2009; NEITI, 2012).

Keywords

Information Provision Extractive Industry Resource Curse World Resource Institute Governance Challenge 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Bibliography

  1. APAI (2012) APAI Declaration, African Platform on Access to Information, 4 April, www.africanplatform.org/index.php/apai-declaration (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  2. Articlel9 (2012) ‘Kenya: Freedom of Information Bill’, Articlel9, 31 January, www.artidel9.org/resources.php/resource/2940/en/kenya:-freedom-of-information-bill (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  3. BBC (2012) ‘New oil finds off Liberia and Sierra Leone’, BBC News, 21 February, www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17115042 (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  4. Carter, L. (2009) ‘Ghana needs to enact Freedom of Information Law’, GhanaWeb, 2 6 August, www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel. php ? ID= 167532 (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  5. Cossé, S. (2006) Strengthening Transparency in the Oil Sector in Cameroon: Why Does it Matter? (Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund).Google Scholar
  6. Daily Graphic (2011) ‘Public Interest and Accountability Committee Begins Work’, 15 December, www.modernghana.com/news/367052/l/public-interest-and-accountability-committee-begin.html (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  7. Economic Community of West African States (2001) Protocol A/SP1/12/01 on Democracy and Good Governance Supplementary to the Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security (Dakar: ECOWAS).Google Scholar
  8. EITI (2009) Liberia ETTA Act Signed into Law, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, 17 July, http://eiti.org/news-events/liberia-eiti-act-signed-law (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  9. EITI (2010) Ghana Achieves ELTI Compliant Status, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, http://eiti.org/news-events/ghana-achieves-eiti-compliant-status.
  10. EITI (2012) Extracting Data — Overview of the ELTI Reports published 2005–2011, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, http://eiti.org/document/ extracting-data.
  11. Fori, J. and L. de Silva (2010) A Seat at the Table: Including the Poor in Decisions for Development and Environment (Washington, DC: World Resources Institute).Google Scholar
  12. Freedominfo (2011) Rwanda Cabinet Okays Access to Information Bill, 13 June, www.freedominfo.org/2011/06/rwanda-cabinet-okays-access-to-information-bill/ (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  13. Gary, I. (2011) Big Transparency Wins for Ghana, Oxfam America, 9 May http: //politicsofpoverty.oxf am am erica.org/2011/05/09/big-transparency-wins-for-ghana/ (Accessed 2 August 2012).Google Scholar
  14. Ghana EITI (2012) About ELTI in Ghana, Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, www.geiti.gov.gh/site/index.php? option=com_content& view=article&id=78&Itemid=55 (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  15. Ghanaian Times (2011) Parliament Urged to Speed up Debate on Info Bill, Government of Ghana Official Portal, 6 October, www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php/news/ features/7976-parliament-urged-to-speed-up-debate-on-info-bill (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  16. Global Witness (2011) Affirming Accountability: Transparency and Independent Verification in South Sudan’s New Petroleum Law (London: Global Witness).Google Scholar
  17. Government of Ethiopia (1986) Proclamation to Regulate Petroleum Operations.Google Scholar
  18. Government of Ethiopia (2008) Mass Media and Freedom of Information Proclamation.Google Scholar
  19. Government of Ghana (2005) National Petroleum Authority Act.Google Scholar
  20. Government of Ghana (2011) Petroleum Revenue Management Act.Google Scholar
  21. Government of Liberia (2002) Act Adopting the New Petroleum Law of the Republic of Liberia.Google Scholar
  22. Government of Liberia (2009) Act Establishing the Liberia Extractive Industries Tra n spa ren cy Ini tiati ve (LE LT I).Google Scholar
  23. Government of Liberia (2010) Freedom of Information Act.Google Scholar
  24. Government of Nigeria (1990) Petroleum Act.Google Scholar
  25. Government of Nigeria (2011) Freedom oflnformation Law.Google Scholar
  26. Government of South Africa (1996) Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.Google Scholar
  27. Government of Uganda (1995) Constitution of the Republic of Uganda.Google Scholar
  28. Government of Uganda (2005) Access to Information Act.Google Scholar
  29. Government of Uganda (2011) Access to Information Regulations.Google Scholar
  30. Government of Uganda (2012a) Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) Bill.Google Scholar
  31. Government of Uganda (2012b) Petroleum (Refining, Gas Processing, Conversion, Transportation and Storage) Bill.Google Scholar
  32. Government of Zimbabwe (2002) Access to Information and Privacy Act.Google Scholar
  33. Government of Zimbabwe (2006) Petroleum Act. The Guardian (2012) ‘Kenya Strikes Oil for First Time’, The Guardian, 21 March, www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/26/kenya-strikes-oil-first-time (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  34. Hazell, R., B. Worthy and M. Glover (2010) The Impact of the Freedom of Information Act on Cental Government in the UK: Does FOI Work? (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. Human Rights Watch (2012) Sierra Leone: Pass Freedom of Information Bill, 2 April, www.hrw.org/news/2012/04/02/sierra-leone-pass-freedom-information-bill (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  36. Langenkamp, R.D. (2010) Comments on the Uganda Petroleum Bill (New York: Revenue Watch Institute).Google Scholar
  37. Lay, T. and M. Minio-Paluello (2010) Contacts Curse: Uganda’s Oil Agreements Place Profit before People (Kampala: Civil Society Coalition on Oil in Uganda).Google Scholar
  38. LEITI (2012) Liberia Extactive Industies Transparency Initiative, www.leiti.org.lr (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  39. Luong, P.J. and E. Weinthal (2006) ‘Rethinking the Resource Curse: Ownership Structure, Institutional Capacity, and Domestic Constraints’, Annual Review of Political Science, 9: 241–263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  40. McMillan, J. (2005) ‘Promoting Transparency in Angola’, Journal of Democracy, 16 (3), 155–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  41. Mehlum, H., K. Moene and R. Torvik (2006) ‘Institutions and the Resource Curse’, The Economic Journal, 116 (508): 1–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  42. Mendel, T. (2008) Freedom of Information: A Comparative Legal Survey, 2nd edn (Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).Google Scholar
  43. NEITI (2012) NEm BUI Signed into Law. Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, www.neiti.org.ng/news/2007/05/30/neiti-bill-signed-law (Accessed 2 August 2012).
  44. Neuman, L. (ed.) (2002) Access to Information: A Key to Democracy (Atlanta: The Carter Center).Google Scholar
  45. Par ham, H. (2005) Promoting Revenue Transparency in the Extactive Industries. ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific 5th Regional Anti-Corruption Conference, Beijing, 28-30 September.Google Scholar
  46. Relly, J.E. (2011) ‘Corruption, Secrecy, and Access-to-information Legislation in Africa: A Cross-National Study of Political Institutions’, Research in Social Problems and Public Policy, 19: 325–352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  47. Roberts, A. (2006) Blacked Out: Government Secrecy in the Information Age (New York: Cambridge University Press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  48. Robinson, JA., R. Torvik and T. Verdier (2006) ‘Political Foundations of the Resource Curse’, Journal of Development Economics, 79 (2): 447–468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  49. Ross, T.J. (2010) ‘A Test of Democracy: Ethiopia’s Mass Media and Freedom of Information Proclamation’, Penn State Law Review, 114 (3): 1047–1065.Google Scholar
  50. Rosser, A. (2006) The Political Economy of the Resources Curse: A Literature Survey (Brighton: University of Sussex Institute of Development Studies).Google Scholar
  51. Veit, P., G. Banda, A. Brownell, S. Mtisi, P. Galega, G. Kanja, R. Nshala, B. Ochieng, A. Salomao and G. Tumushabe (2008) On Whose Behalf? Legislative Representation and the Environment in Africa (Washington, DC: World Resources Institute).Google Scholar
  52. Veit, P., C. Excell and A. Zomer (2011) Avoiding the Resource Curse: Spotlight on Oil in Uganda (Washington, DC: World Resources Institute).Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Peter G. Veit and Carole Excell 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  • Peter G. Veit
    • 1
  • Carole Excell
    • 2
  1. 1.Institutions and Governance ProgramWorld Resources InstituteUSA
  2. 2.World Resources InstituteUSA

Personalised recommendations