Nigeria Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Audit Automation
The Nigeria Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) works to promote transparency and good governance by validating and publishing data on taxes paid by companies in the extractives sector. DG is developing a tool to automate data collection and support the process of reconciling conflicting financial data shared by the private sector and the government.
Before DG, what challenges did NEITI face with its audit process?
NEITI works to promote transparency and good governance by validating and publishing data on taxes paid by companies in the extractives sector. Its audit reports are among the most widely-read and widely-referenced documents on the extractive industries (EI) in Nigeria.
The data collection, validation, and publishing process for each audit report used to take nearly two years to complete; therefore, information being used for program and policy decision-making was delayed and no longer relevant by publication date.
DG’s goal was to streamline the audit process to allow NEITI to publish the audit report in a timely manner, providing up to date information that can be better used by civil society organizations and other actors to further their advocacy goals.
Developing the Extractive Industries Data Portal (EIDP)
In partnership with the Ford Foundation and NEITI, DG developed an EIDP tool to automate data collection and support the process of reconciling conflicting financial data shared by the private sector and the government. The tool’s goal is to simplify the audit process and improve the timeliness of NEITI’s reports, drastically reducing the amount of time the audit report takes to publish. The tool is also designed to link with NEITI’s audit dashboard, a suite of visual tools that display information on annual audit reports.
DG has built a series of training modules to allow NEITI’s staff to sustainably use and maintain the system. NEITI’s personnel will have the capacity to train any system users and raise awareness around the tool focusing on its added value and benefits for all stakeholders.