Case study: PSAf Monitoring Extractive Industries in Mozambique Project

Case study: PSAf Monitoring Extractive Industries in Mozambique Project

Investigating Extractive Industries

(Southern Africa Investigative Journalists Regional conference, 13-15 August 2012, Lusaka, Zambia)

Presented by Vusumuzi SifileCommunications and Knowledge Management OfficerPanos Institute Southern Africa (PSAf)Email: [email protected] Web: www.panos.org.zm Tel: +260-211-263258/+260-974-188-481

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.panos.org.zm/

Overview

Implemented in 2010 to 2012 Aimed to enhance the ability and capacity of citizens, media,

civil society organizations (CSOs) and elected representatives, to make use of evidence-based approaches in engaging with government and non-state actors and institutions to promote transparent, responsive, accountable and effective development policies in Mozambique, with particular focus on the extractive industries sector.

Implementation was done alongside the Global Issues Journalism Fellowships project

Partners to the project included media organizations, CSOs networks, selected Municipal Councils, specialised parliamentary commissions, community radios, traditional authorities and community-based organizations at district level.

PSAf Case Study: Monitoring Extractive Industries in Mozambique

Background

Mozambique, like other Southern Africa countries, has over the last few years recorded an increase in investments, especially in the mining sector and also in forestry.

This commercial extraction of resources has seen a lot of poor and marginalised citizens being forced by circumstances to relocate from their settlements, and this has a lot of social and economic implications.

PSAf felt that communication would lead to citizens engagement with the authroties, thus contributing to good governance, through exposing the actions of policy makers, facilitating evaluation and monitoring, raising activism and therefore the level of public debate.


Monitoring Extractive Industries Project

The project focused mostly on strengthening transparency on the country’s extractive industries policies.

Mining sector now has a more a more prominent role in the economy.

Minerals that are currently being exploited include titanium, tantalum, marble, gold, coal, bauxite, granite, limestone and gemstones.

There are also known deposits of pegmatite, platinoids, uranium, bentonite, iron, cobalt, chromium, nickel, copper, granite, fluorite, diatomite, emeralds, tourmaline and apatite. Mozambique has identified reserves of natural gas in commercially exploitable quantities, and further exploration is under way.


Why the project?

Knowledge is power What role can the ordinary citizen play in ensuring accountability and

transparency in the extraction of resources? How can the media provide a platform for ordinary citizens to demand

for accountability and transparency in the extractives sector? How can the media, communities and other watchdog establishments

work together to ensure a more transparent extractives sector? How can citizens, media, civil society organizations (CSOs) and

elected representatives make use of evidence-based approaches in engaging with government and non-state actors and institutions to promote transparent, responsive, accountable and effective development policies in Mozambique, with particular focus on the extractive industries sector.

More mining investment: What are the benefits? What are the implications on communities?

Ownership of resources – land and the minerals underground?


Objectives

To strengthen citizens demand for transparency on extractive industries policies through evidence-based research approaches

To enhance journalists investigative skills Increase journalists access to national and international

policy makers and experts To give a voice to the poor on issues of public policy and

decision-making processes and the limited accountability of public authorities,in order to improve people’s lives in line with the country’s policies and international conventions for fighting absolute poverty and forstering governance.

To develop the professional journalism skills and capacity of radio and print journalists in Mozambique to scrutinize local and national development issues and global processes, and their impact in Mozambique

To support increased access of Mozambican journalists to the people most affected by development policies in Mozambique.


Approaches

Mainstream mediaCommunity MediaInter personal approachesMultilevel stakeholder consultationsResearch


Mainstream and Community Media

The media are an integral part of achieving transparency, public awareness, informed debate and accountability.

Independent and comunity media are strategic sources of information for citizens – including the poor and marginalized populations

The media provides a mechanism for giving citizens voice and holding power holders to account.

Watchdog role – monitoring on government activities and public issues.

However, lack of adequate training and skills (in particular with regard to investigative and “public interest” journalism), restrictive policies, lack of knowledge about governce-related issues and weak relationships with relevant CSOs appeared to stifle the work of investigative journalists.


Mainstream and Community Media

Main component of the projectMore than 26 journalists from

print and broadcast media supported to undertake field reporting assignments in remote areas of the country on extractive industries related activities.

Evidence based reports highlighting the impact of extractive industries, especially on vulnerable groups

Informed public opinion on the consequences of mega mining projects and clandestine timber cutting and deforestation.


Interpersonal approaches

Radio Listening Clubs

Roundtable discussions

Community meetingsEditors steering

committeeConsultative

meetings


Investigative Journalism in the EI Project

Media institutions and individual journalists were identified and capacitated to produce in depth investigative newspaper articles which are adequately researched and evidence-based.

The project provided a fellowships mechanism to support journalists to travel to far flung areas where the extraction of resources was taking place.

Through the investigative stories, the different communities were able to hold government officials accountable to the legal and moral standards of public service

The investigative stories also managed to keep business and professional leaders accountable to society’s expectations of integrity and fairness, particularly when targeting complex domains such as corruption associated with public resources management or organized crime associated with drug or human trafficking.


Outcomes

Evidence of project contribution to improved, in-depth reporting, both by print and broadcast media, s well as live debates on issues around mineral and forest resources exploration and their economic, environmental and social impact.

Increased coverage of community voices in the media, e.g. communities who have been removed from their original homes and resettled in precarious conditions in the Moatize and Matutuine (Tete and Maputo Provinces)

Informed communities becoming more proactive, e.g. on January 10, 2012 more than 500 families blocked both the railway and the nearby main road, in an attempt to prevent the movement of coal along the Sena line from Moatize, in Tete, to the Port of Beira.

PSAf responded to an emergency support call from the media, and sent media teams from Savana and STV, two media institutions who brought the voices of the communities to national and public attention. Both the multinational mining company (Vale, from Brazil) and the Government were forced to come up with plans to respond to communities calls for a more decent resettlement programme.


Outcomes

Community members empowered with knowledge to engage in progressive dialogue with different stakeholders.

its own knowledgeCommunity develops a graded action planCommunity engages with a hierarchy of ActionsCommunity engages corporations and mines with factual

information and clearly understanding the personality gaps of the corporations, between what the corporation says it actually does and their experience of its actions.

The community learns how to mobilise around campaign issues.

The community learns that horizontal organisation rather than pyramidal structures are more effedctive

The community develops confidrence in its own abilities.


What the project achieved

Developing the professional journalism skills and capacity of broadcast and print journalists in Mozambique to scrutinize national development issues and global processes, and their impact in Mozambique. Mainstream and community media journalists identified and trained on the extractive industries.Provision of fellowships to enable the journalists to access far flung, remote areas that are affected by extractive industriesEditor mentors engaged to help journalists develop their stories, right up to the publication/broadcast stage.Increased coverage of extractive industries. In 2011 alone, there were more than 100 media articles on the subject, which was a big increase compared to previous years.



2. Increased access by Mozambican journalists to national and international policy-makers and experts at international summits.Journalists supported to cover local and international meetings on key development issues like extractive industriesEditor/mentors supported journalists to gain access to national and local government representatives and other power-holders. Discussion forums held with representatives of international organizations and embassies based in Maputo as well as experts.



3. Increased access of Mozambican journalists to the people most affected by the extractive industries

Supported journalists interaction with people at the local level.

Interaction with local communities enabled the journalists to bring out the voices of the most affected, which enabled them to influence some policy responses.

31 journalists, among fellows and non-fellows received grants to produce in-depth reporting stories on natural resources management policies, under the supervision of Editor/Mentors and Thematic Specialists.

The grant made significant impact on the ground. Through the grant journalists had opportunity to go to the field and report the reality of those affected by development policies and bring their voices to public.


Challenges

Inadequate time for journalists in the field, resulting in some cases in their failure to follow up on some issues right up to the end.

Some investigations require that a journalist spends a lot of time in the field, but that also has implications on costs etc.

Secrecy among the different actors


Lessons learnt and conclusion

The media has a real potential to play a role in holding the government and other power holders with regards to issues related to extractive industry and climate

The need to develop the capacity of the media in development issues cannot be overemphasized.

Still room to come up with ways of reporting on the extractive industries in a manner that will influence effective policy responses.

There is still a tendency to focus more on events than on issues, which presents a big challenge for investigative journalists to up their game.

There is need for investigative journalists and civil society in Southern Africa to work together to bring out the issues

Networking has proven to be an effective strategy: it has allowed easy and quick information access and sharing, including with CBOs.

Providing financial and logistical support is very important, but not a guarantee of quality media products by itself.

Provision of well-researched background information can help offer a contextual analysis of the issues selected


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Case study: PSAf Monitoring Extractive Industries in Mozambique Project

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