Compliance with Petroleum Industry Transparency and Accountability Rules in South Sudan
Publication Summary
This paper reviews the existing transparency and accountability rules to understand the extent to which these have been implemented. Despite the existence of strong petroleum transparency and accountability legal rules, we find that compliance with them has worsened in the last three years. For example, only 26% of the information required by the petroleum laws has been published in 2019, compared to 42% in 2016. This seriously violates the petroleum transparency and accountability rules and poses high corruption and reputational risks. A number of factors explain this worsening of transparency in the country. Key among these is that the Ministry of Petroleum no longer publishes its annual marketing report, which is supposed to disclose key petroleum information in accordance with petroleum laws. We recommend an establishment of an independent institution, accountable to the National Legislature, to coordinate and publish petroleum information as provided for in the Petroleum Act 2012, Petroleum Revenue Management Act 2013, and Public Financial Management and Accountability Act 2011. Strict implementation of and compliance with transparency and accountability rules reduce corruption, minimize conflicts over natural resources, and save revenues for strategic investment and development, culminating in peace and prosperity for all.
Nhial Tiitmamer has served as the Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Program at The Sudd Institute where he is currently on leave to work with United Nations in South Sudan (UNMISS). He has served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Juba where he has taught Environmental Economics, Natural Resources Economics and Environmental Sociology. Between November 2021 and November 2022, Nhial worked as Senior Environment Associate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Juba. Before returning from Canada in 2013, Nhial worked at Arletta Environmental Consulting in Calgary and at University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus in Camrose in Alberta, Canada. Nhial’s research focusses on natural resources governance, environmental protection, climate change, and sustainable energy. He was awarded in May 2023 by the Board of Directors of The Sudd Institute with Research Impact Award for policy impacts. Nhial holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a minor in English Literature from the University of Alberta and an M.Sc. in Sustainable Energy Development from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.