EITI finds transparency helped governments reclaim billions in mining revenue

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative said its reporting framework now covers 56 countries and roughly 3,900 entities, and that governments have disclosed $3.6 trillion in extractive-sector revenue since 2003. The group argues that disclosure is shifting from payment lists to ownership, licences and project agreements - changes that have led to renegotiations and bigger revenue claims in several producing countries.

How disclosure has been used in practice

EITI's review highlights concrete outcomes. In the Democratic Republic of Congo an EITI study helped expose departures from the original Sicomines copper-cobalt deal; negotiations that followed produced a revised agreement in 2024 increasing planned infrastructure spending to $7 billion from $3 billion. The DRC widened fiscal modelling in 2025 to cover projects representing about 80% of its mining fiscal revenue.

Ghana shelved a 2020 plan to sell a 49% stake in Agyapa Royalties after EITI-commissioned modelling valued the asset at about $1.5 billion, rather than the $500–$750 million then cited; later work suggested Ghana preserved $270–$300 million as gold prices rose. In Papua New Guinea EITI reporting informed talks that raised the government and landowners' stake in Porgera to 51% from 15%.

Where disclosure exposes losses and risks

Ownership and trade data have flagged potential leakages. Cameroon reported 22.3 kg of gold exports in 2023 while the UAE recorded more than 15 tonnes of imports from Cameroon that year, prompting enforcement action. A study cited by EITI estimated Burkina Faso lost $4.9 billion to illicit mining-related flows between 2012 and 2021. Several countries now use beneficial-ownership checks in licensing: Armenia rejected an exploration bid after checks; Ghana refused a renewal following links to criminal records; Colombia has tightened due diligence.

Limits, context and what comes next

Research cited by EITI is cautiously positive: a 2026 study of 83 developing countries found higher natural-resource revenue after joining EITI, and another linked membership to stronger foreign investment in low-transparency states. But a 2025 study of 50 countries found more disclosure did not automatically change perceptions of corruption. EITI itself says impact is uneven and that the test ahead is whether richer, accessible data consistently prompts government action as competition for copper, lithium and other critical minerals heats up.