Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates

On behalf of the President of the Republic of Ghana, I wish to thank the EITI Chairman and the Secretariat for extending an invitation to the President of the Republic of Ghana to participate in this important conference. Much as H.E Prof. Evans Atta Mills would have wished to be personally present here today, equally important national assignments which were scheduled earlier than this meeting, have engaged his attention. He has therefore mandated me to make this statement on his behalf. Though not present at this meeting, the President, and his Government remain committed to Ghana‘s implementation of the EITI.

The Government of Ghana committed itself and signed on to the EITI in 2003 and has since participated fully in all EITI activities both regionally and internationally. It is worth noting that Ghana is the first country to undertake the EITI in the mining sector and proactively extended it to the sub-national level.