All efforts are put in place to produce 2021 EITI report on time

As part of the process to produce Cameroon’s 17th EITI Report for the 2021 financial year, the EITI Committee met on 1st and 2nd June 2023 at the Mont Febé hotel in Yaoundé with the aim to adopt the scoping report and reinforce the capacities of the entities in charge to complete the 2021 reconciliation reporting forms.
During the first day, the Minister of Mining, Industry and Technological Development (MINMITD), also Vice-Chairman of the EITI Committee, Mr. FUH Calistus Gentry delivered a speech during which he urged the declaring entities “to do everything within their responsibilities so that the corrective measures are fully carried out within the framework of transparency”. This exhortation comes as the report in preparation will be at the heart of Cameroon’s new validation which will begin on October 1, 2023. The agenda of the day focused on the following points:
Examination and adoption of the draft 2021 conciliation framework report;
Miscellaneous.
The innovations approved by the Committee in the 2021 framework relate to: setting a materiality threshold at CFA 100 million for companies of the hydrocarbons, & mining sectors; renewal of the scope of flows for 2021; the selection of new flows like the environmental ones; the entry of two new entities into the scope of public entities, namely: the Ministry of the Environment, SONAMINES; the statement expected from SONARA to clarify the nature of the debt that SNH had granted to it; transparency of crude oil sales by buyer through a specific form to be completed by SNH, disclosure of employment data taking into account the gender; disclosure of beneficial ownership; declaration of social payments; taking into account the recommendations of the pre-validation mission of April 16-19, 2023 in Yaoundé, etc. Here are new features that provide a quality 2021 EITI Report.
During the second day chaired by the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Finance, Mr. Abdoulaye Yaouba, the agenda was articulated around the following points:
Review and adoption of the budgeted 2023 draft work plan;
Training workshop on filling out the 2021 conciliation declaration forms.
In the morning, the members of the EITI Committee have to familiarize themselves with the mini emergency plan for the preparation of the new validation, which constitutes an important step in the implementation of the 2023 Work Plan.
In the afternoon, the session took place in the format of a workshop, which objective was to build the capacity of participants on the delimitation of the scope of the EITI Report, the innovations introduced in the framework, the procedure for data quality assurance, how to fill in EITI reporting forms. With regard to the instructions for completing the EITI reporting form, the Independent Administrator provided the Firm’s email address itie.cameroun@enerteam.org and wished that all the expected data be sent there. He recalled the importance of respecting the deadlines set for July 3, 2023 for the transmission of non-certified declaration forms and July 10, 2023 for certified data forms. He clarified that the conciliation work would take place no later than August and that the workshop for the public presentation of the 2021 EITI Report will be held, unless changed, on 25 August 2023.
At the end of the two days of work, after having discussed on it, the Committee decided to:
Adopt the 2021 EITI conciliation scoping report;
Postpone the adoption of the draft minutes of the sessions of April 4, 5, 18 and 19, 2023, as well as the draft annual progress reports for the 2021 and 2022 financial years;
Postpone the adoption of the draft mini emergency plans for the preparation of validation, of the 2023 Work Plan, for budgeting purposes.