THE civil society organisations in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region have resolved to support the implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Zambia.

The civil society organisations would ensure that EITI process delivers transpancy, accountability and access to information to all.

Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW), in partnership with the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), through its affiliate, the Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) and Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) last week organised an EITI conference in Lusaka aimed at evaluating the progress and identifying challenges facing the EITI in Zambia.

The EITI was established in 2002 and has become a well-established and broad-based global coalition of resource-rich developing countries, donors, major companies, civil society groups and investors.

According to a communiqué issued in Lusaka at the weekend by SARW official Moratuoa Thoke, the civil society organisations committed themselves to bringing on board key stakeholders in the extractive industry.

This is in an effort to promote open and public dialogue, community awareness and consciousness of the issues surrounding the extractive industries.

They reaffirmed to play a critical role in the realisation of the goals of the EITI initiative to attain the country’s desire of compliance.

The organisations realised the need for the enhancement of transparency and accountability in the management of resources in the extractive industry.

Countries implementing EITI committed themselves to publish all payments made by oil, gas and mining companies to the Government.