Strengthening governance in Central Africa’s extractive sector (REMAP-CEMAC)

Project description

Title: Strengthening governance in Central Africa’s extractive sector (REMAP-CEMAC)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Countries: Member states of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo
Lead executing agency: Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Communauté economique et monétaire d’Afrique Centrale – CEMAC)
Overall term: 2007 to 2017

Strengthening governance in Central Africa’s extractive sector. Experts from the CEMAC region on a visit to German mines. © GIZ

Context

The Member States of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) – Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo – are among the richest states in Africa in terms of mineral resources. Just like many other countries on the African continent, these states rely on extracting these resources to drive their economic growth.

Industrial-scale extraction of mineral resources is not, however, generating substantial and sustainable development. Inappropriate exploitation of these resources also often leads to domestic and cross-border conflicts.

In order to secure income from local extractive processing and ensure better management of the value chain, CEMAC has made good governance and an improved business climate the second-highest priority of its 2010-2025 Regional Economic Programme.

Objective

Extractive resource governance is improved, enabling the extractive sector to contribute more effectively to tackling poverty and driving sustainable development.

Strengthening governance in Central Africa’s extractive sector. The CEMAC Commission and REMAP’s annual plan for 2016. © GIZ

Approach

The project is helping the CEMAC Commission to implement its Regional Economic Programme.
The project’s priorities are to strengthen the institutional performance of the CEMAC Commission and to develop common standards and policies, particularly in the extractive industries.

The measures proposed by the project represent a coherent programme designed to support efficient extractive resource governance. The project promotes the transparency and traceability of production while also taking into account social and environmental issues.

The project is currently helping to draw up a common mining law, develop CEMAC standards for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and devise a gender strategy. It is also promoting the activities of CEMAC’s newly created Extractive Industries Academy.

Results

Institutional performance of the CEMAC Commission

  • CEMAC mangers have received training in knowledge management and public relations activities.

  • The project has devised a data collection and monitoring strategy for projects run as part of the Regional Economic Programme and made instruments available to support this strategy.

  • A communication strategy has been developed and the CEMAC Commission’s official website has been revamped.

Good extractive governance

  • CEMAC Member States are being given support in implementing the processes set out in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

  • A pool of journalists from CEMAC states and non-governmental organisations involved in EITI have received training and are now better able to work as observers in the extractive sector.

  • A regional CSR forum has been organised, and this forum has devised a regional CSR standard.

  • A charter has been drawn up on land policy and land reforms in the CEMAC region.

  • CEMAC’s Extractive Industries Academy has been set up to improve knowledge of the extractive sector value chain among senior administrative staff.

Additional information

Additional information