VOA标准英语2010-Sierra Leone Discloses Mining Revenues fo

Yusufu Koma, a mining diver, is seen before he dives down in a river on the outskirts¹ of the town of Bo, Sierra Leone, 8 Apr 2006

Two years after Sierra Leone signed up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the government has submitted their first report on mining revenues.

 

Sierra Leone is rich in mineral resources and also one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world.

Now the government is trying to address its 'resource curse' by publishing its first ever public report on revenue Sierra Leone receives from mining companies.

The report is part of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative that requires mining companies to publish what they pay and asks governments to publish what they receive in revenue.  The idea is to foster transparency in a sector² that, if managed properly, could contribute significantly to a country's development.

Sierra Leone Ministry³ of Mines Deputy Secretary Emmanuel Komba says the report is an important step for a country that has gained little from its mineral wealth.

"The rationale behind this is that the world believes the people should benefit from the resources of their country," said Komba.  "And that has not been happening.  So at the end of the day, what has gone wrong?  Who is fooling who?  So at the end of the day in order for everybody to see what is actually happening in industry, that you ask the companies to reveal what they have paid to government, and government to say this is what we have received."

The report covers payments made to the government by six industrial mining companies, two major exporters and other institutions during 2006 and 2007.

Mining companies reportedly paid $10.6 million in 2007 while the government says it received $10.2 million in the same year.  Verdi Consulting, the company reconciling the two sides, says the discrepancy⁴ is due to the government failing to report some revenue and to companies unable to prove certain payments.

Sierra Leone's diamond fields fueled a 10-year civil war.  The country is also home to one of the world's largest rutile deposits, and considerable deposits of iron ore, bauxite⁵ and gold.

In 2009, Sierra Leone revised its Mines and Minerals Act, requiring greater contributions from mining companies, in the form of license⁶ fees, royalties⁷ and taxes.

With more money paid to state coffers by mining companies and the recent discovery of oil off Sierra Leone's coast, advocacy groups say transparency and good governance is more important than ever to ensure Sierra Leoneans benefit from their abundant natural resources.

 

1 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 discrepancy   

n.不同；不符；差异；矛盾

参考例句：

• The discrepancy in their ages seemed not to matter.他们之间年龄的差异似乎没有多大关系。
• There was a discrepancy in the two reports of the accident.关于那次事故的两则报道有不一致之处。

5 bauxite   

n.铝土矿

参考例句：

• Aluminum is made from bauxite.铝是从铝土矿中提炼出的。
• The United States was vulnerable to shortages of chrome,bauxite,and platinum.美国的弱点是缺少铬、矾土和铂。

6 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

7 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分