The IMF and Civil Society
A letter from Gabon
November 14, 2007
Samba Thiam, IMF Resident Representative, Libreville, Gabon
On November 14, 2007, I met Mr. Marc Ona Essangui, a vocal CSO leader and head of the Gabonese chapter of the Publish What You Pay Coalition, together with other coalition members. The group was happy to meet with the Fund and to be given an opportunity to raise their concerns.
They developed their views and interest in the continuation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) process—Gabon has issued two EITI reports already—and on the mega Belinga iron ore project, a $3 billion built-operate-transfer (BTO) awarded to a Chinese consortium. On the latter, environmental concerns are top on the agenda of the Coalition. The group is planning to organize a seminar for parliamentarians on EITI early next year.