The Congolese Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr. Jean-Baptiste ONDAYE, President of the National Committee of the Initiative for Transparency in Extractive Industries (EITI)-Congo, opened, Tuesday, October 8, 2024 in Brazzaville, the first session of the Executive Committee of this institution.

The agenda of this session, which continues until October 15, includes, among other things, the validation and adoption of the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the independent administrator for the 2023 EITI Report; the validation, adoption and dissemination of the 2022 EITI Report; the action plan for the recovery of the EITI National Committee; and the report on the work with the EITI focal points.

According to the President of the EITI-Congo National Committee, "the adoption of the ToR of the independent administrator is a decisive moment. Because this decision specifies the substance and form of the EITI Report, the cornerstone of the achievement of the requirements of the standard".

Regarding the validation, adoption and dissemination of the 2022 EITI Report, the speaker indicated that this step "is required as soon as possible, before the end of this year 2024. Because it constitutes a decisive moment that measures the level of achievement of the requirements of the EITI standard and its appropriation by the various stakeholders".

Concerning the recovery action plan of the National EITI Committee, in other words the recovery plan for the implementation of the EITI, the Minister of Economy and Finance stressed that this document remains "the main means of integrating the essential actions of the Initiative in our country". He explained that "the implementation of reforms that affect the various sectors of public governance remains one of the determining priorities of the Government of the Republic, in a difficult regional and international environment, where many uncertainties persist related to the management of world peace; the impacts of climate change; the energy transition; and the fluctuating prices of raw materials".

In opening the proceedings, the President of the EITI-Congo National Committee urged participants to bring "the results of their work up to the challenges, not only to enable significant progress in the implementation of the EITI, but also and above all to pave the way for a successful completion of the validation of the Republic of Congo in July 2026".

It should be noted that the process of validating the Congo file will begin on April 1, 2025.

The Communication Unit of the Ministry of Economy and Finance

Photo credit: B2B Communication