By Omotayo Toyeeb
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), under its Natural Resource Extractive Programme (NAREP), is set to convene a two-day capacity-building workshop titled “Constraining Opportunities for Corruption in the African Mining Sector.”
This initiative is part of the Powering Just Energy Transition (JET) Minerals Challenge project, with funding support from USAID.
The workshop will feature participants from 10 media organizations, including Sobi FM’s Adebayo Abubakar, Dare Akogun, and Hameedah Oladimeji-Kolawole, alongside 23 other journalists and representatives from five Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria.
In a statement issued by CJID on Tuesday, which was shared with Sobi FM, the workshop aims to bolster the roles of media and CSOs in combating corruption within the green minerals value chain and addressing challenges related to information access in the sector.
The statement highlighted the critical role of the mining industry in the global transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources. Despite Nigeria’s abundant mineral resources, the sector is marred by secrecy, corruption, and numerous environmental and human rights issues.
CJID noted that the operations of Nigerian extractive players, particularly mining operators, are largely opaque, with minimal institutional transparency.
This lack of openness fosters zero accountability, mismanagement of funds, revenue leakages, and hinders the government’s ability to meet financial obligations and deliver development to its citizens.
Felicia Dairo, CJID’s NAREP Project Manager, stated, “In response to these enormous challenges plaguing the sector, CJID is organizing this workshop to equip media and civil society organizations working in the accountability sector in select countries.
“This will foster the implementation of significant transparency and accountability interventions required to reform the green mineral sector.
“We recognize that the media and CSOs play a huge role in upholding democratic accountability. However, they are limited by the lack of data and evidential information required to carry out their assignments effectively.
“This workshop hopes to fill the knowledge gap and enhance participants’ capacity to expose corrupt practices within the critical minerals value chain central to the energy transition campaign.”
This workshop, according to Mrs. Dairo, is the first of four capacity-building training sessions for critical stakeholders across Nigeria, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Mozambique under the Powering Just Energy Transition (JET) Minerals Challenge project.
The Nigerian leg of the training is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 22nd May, and Thursday, 23rd May, in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The workshop is an in-person event led by experienced trainers and experts with diverse backgrounds.
Post-workshop, CJID will offer investigative grants to media organizations for uncovering corrupt actors and issues within Nigeria’s green mineral value chain. Participating CSOs will receive support for advocacy campaigns aimed at holding corrupt state and non-state actors accountable.
