Oil

Today my supervisor took me with him to the launch of the first semi-annual report of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC). The committee was set up after Ghana found substantial oil reserves in 2010, and was established by the government to ensure transparency and accountability as the extraction of oil proceeds in the coming years. 

Although established by the government, the Commission has not received any funding from the state, and has relied instead on support coming from the Revenue Watch Institute and the German GIZ. After reading other reports on things like the Capitation Grant and Feeding Program, for which necessary funds are also not allocated to schools on time, there seems to be a very dire need to appropriate money sooner and more efficiently in order to ensure sustained development. CHRAJ, which is itself an organization established within the constitution, receives about 85% of its funding from the Danish organization DANIDA. I guess the government is on Ghana Time too. (The conference also started about an hour late ;) 

Another interesting thing, though, is that as of right now, the government does not have a solid development plan in regards to the projected oil revenues. Instead, they are focusing on short-term projects that have little projected returns for the community. With its report, PIAC is urging the government to come up with a plan right away so that sustainable plans can be made. The Committee also set up a Heritage Fund and Stabilization Fund (the former a more long-term investment for future generations and the latter a store of money to bolster economic fluctuations) with which they are hoping to escape the ramifications faced by countries such as Nigeria and emulate a more responsible and capable way of handling their gift. They are also planning public forums to educate the public and urge them to hold the government accountable. 

Below are the members of the PIAC. Third from the right is Mr. Addo, my supervisor at CHRAJ. The lady sixth from the left is a Queen Mother. I don´t really know what that means, but she was very kind.

Am Wochenende sind wir zu einer Hochzeit eingeladen (ok, wir haben uns selber eingeladen ;) weil eine von den Praktikanten von McGill einen Bekanten hat der hier in Accra heiratet! Anscheinend sollen wir traditionelle Kleidung anziehen - was das aber bedeutet weiß ich nicht genau. Bei der Öl Konferenz habe ich auch noch einen Praktikanten kennen gelernt der bei GIZ arbeitet! Lustigerweise wohnt er in Rosa´s anderem Haus (sie hat zwei), und wir haben jetzt Pläne uns alle Morgen zu treffen nach der Arbeit weil einer der anderen Praktikanten dort wieder nach Hause fährt und es eine Abschiedsfeier für ihn gibt.