Samini to champion transparent use of African resources

Dancehall artiste Samini has launched a campaign to partner international civil society organisation, Revenue Watch, to rally African artistes to fight for transparency and accountability in the management and use of the continent's natural resources.

Samini, known in real life Emmanuel Andrews Samini, announced the formation of his Africa Watch Foundation at an event to launch a report on how resource-rich countries have performed in managing their resources at the Coconut Groove Regency Hotel Wednesday night.

The report, called the Resource Governance Index, places Ghana top among sub-Saharan countries but comes 15th among 58 countries that were measured.

Samini told Joy News' Benjamin Tetteh in an interview that he believes other artistes will buy into his idea and create citizens awareness in demanding accountability from governments and companies that exploit Africa's natural resources.

According to him, “it's been a passion since childhood to be responsible for the environment and also hold people to task to pay back to society after exploiting our resources. I picked that up while growing up in school that all these industries owe the society social responsibility because they directly and indirectly affect our day to day activities so in that case they have to pay back.”

The Movement hit singer explained that, “When I heard of this initiative by this institution, I thought of selling my idea to them and maybe we merge and be louder because I am going to come onboard as someone who is going to bring attention to the project and have them push the rest of it for the masses to hear.”

“It is a good initiative to get people to know how transparent we are working or how not transparent we are and then hold those who are to be held to task,” Samini noted.

The MOBO award winning artiste was hopeful that the initiative will bring “a lot of responsibility and accountability so that those who are sleeping and thinking that there is no body holding them to task,” are going to wake up to clean their acts before it is too late because “if you stay your corrupt way, you are definitely going to be exposed.”

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / Instagram: citizendela)