The Guyana government said in a statement on Saturday it remains committed to transparency in the extractives sector and followed all procedures in the process of appointing a new Head of the GYEITI Secretariat. See full statement below.
AFC’s Dr. Rampadarat Jadoopat’s contract expired, and position was publicly advertised
-GoG remains committed to good governance of the natural resources sector.
The Government of Guyana (GoG) through the Ministry of Natural Resources would like to respond to the deliberate misinformation contained in a press release issued on February 5, 2022 by the Alliance for Change which was entitled AFC Condemns Unwarranted Replacement / Termination of GYEITI Head – Dr. Rampadarat Jadoopat.
From the onset, the Ministry of Natural Resources has oversight responsibility for the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GYEITI) Secretariat and the Multi Stakeholder Group (MSG), and would like to state that the local Head of EITI, Dr. Rampadarat Jadoopat’s employment came to an end following the expiration of his contract in January 2021, but was retained on a month to month contract until January 31, 2022. As such, he was kept on the job to allow for a smooth transition for the appointment of a new head of the GYEITI Secretariat.
As such, in keeping with accountability and transparency in filling the position, the GoG in conjunction with the MSG publicly advertised for that and four other positions to strengthen the Secretariat. Dr. Jadoopat who is a known Executive Member of the Alliance for Change reapplied and was not the top ranking candidate following the interviews. Dr. Jadoopat was placed as Head of GYEITI by the then Leader of the AFC and former government Minister, Raphael Trotman. Dr. Jadoopat was one of the many selected few who were politically appointed by the previous administration such as the former Head of the EPA, Dr. Vincent Adams and the former Head of the Compliance Department, among many other high ranking positions.
Further, the non-renewal of Dr. Jadoopat’s contract and the process of appointing a new Head of the GYEITI Secretariat were done in keeping with acceptable employment SOPs governing the appointment for such positions.
The Government of Guyana and the Ministry of Natural Resources remain committed to the Santiago Principles of good governance, accountability and transparency which resulted in the appointment of an enhanced twelve-member government and civil society comprised MSG last September to strengthen the capacity of the GYEITI Secretariat. Additionally, the GoG and MSG hired an international consultancy firm as an independent administrator for the GYEITI Secretariat and work is ongoing for the preparation of Guyana’s next EITI Report.
Therefore, the GoG and the Ministry of Natural Resources will not be distracted by the AFC’s deliberate attempt to distract and stymie the work of the GYEITI Secretariat and the MSG to preside and deliver a high standard of natural resources governance.
February 5, 2022
