Akyem Oda, Dec.12, GNA- Fifty participants drawn from mining communities in the Eastern Region on Tuesday began a two-day training workshop on Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) at Akyem Oda.

The workshop, which was being sponsored by GTZ and Osiwa both Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs') was also being attended by membership of the steering committee of Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Ghana Campaign. The EITI process sought to open up the extractive sector to public scrutiny and to ensure that the dividends from the sector were publicly accounted for and distributed in an equitable and just manner. It has the long-term objective of promoting sustainable development, reducing poverty and eliminating conflicts and social tension in communities affected by extractive industry activities. Mr Franklin Ashiadey, Senior Economist, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning said before Ghana signed up to the EITI Initiative in 2003, the country had embarked upon a number of Public Financial Management Reforms to promote good governance, accountability and transparency.

He said the reforms, include among others, the promulgation of a new Public Procurement, Financial Administration and Internal Audit Agency Act.

Mr Ashiadey said it was generally agreed among all stakeholders that the EITI was needed to bring transparency in the Extractive Industry to help change the public perception of the industry and build ownership amongst all stakeholders by holding governments, extractive industries and beneficiaries of payments and receipts accountable. He said the government also considered the EITI as an opportunity to create the conditions for better management of extractive industry revenues, which would contribute to the alleviation of poverty and sustainable development.

Mr Ashiadey said, while Ghana had still some way to go in its journey to a transparent extractive industry, a lot of progress had so far been made over the last few months because of the collective resolve of government, civil society and development partners to ensure that the initiative was fully implemented successfully.

Mr Frank Kwame Busumtwi, the Birim South District Chief Executive expressed the hope that a transparent Extractive Industry would bring about an improved investment climate.

He was also optimistic that EITI would help in strengthening accountability and good governance as well as promote greater economic and political stability, which would in turn, contribute to the prevention of conflict in mining communities.