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The launch of Sierra Leone's first online mining database in west Africacomes with a promise to increase transparency and accountability in the country's rich natural resource sector.
"This system will stamp out all forms of malpractice in terms of licensing, financial management and general information pertaining to the mining sector," said the minister of mines and mineral resources, Minkailu Mansaray. "The public should be aware of what mining companies pay to the government and what the government receives from mining and exploration companies."
The Government of Sierra Leone Online Repository System, launched on 19 January, is a joint initiative between the government and international donors, including the German Society for International Co-operation (GIZ), the United Nations Development Programme, theRevenue Development Foundation and the World Bank.
The purpose of the system is to have information on all revenue data for the country's extractive industry – payments made for licences, royalties, and contributions to local chiefdoms – collected, recorded and published for public accessibility. It also shows whether mining companies have been authorised to legally operate in the country.
For instance, the website shows Koidu Holdings, a South African company currently operating the largest diamond mining operation in Sierra Leone, made a cash payment of $200,000 on 11 January.
Sierra Leone's mining industry has a long history of unregulated operations, most notably the "blood diamonds" that were found to be partially responsible for fuelling the country's 11-year civil war.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/feb/01/sierra-leone-online-mining-data-transparency
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