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Mining transparency rules are increasingly translating into billions of dollars in protected public revenue, tougher scrutiny of licences and renegotiated resource deals as governments compete for a greater share of mineral wealth, according to a new global review.
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) said its reporting framework covers 56 countries and about 3,900 entities. Governments have disclosed $3.6 trillion in extractive-sector revenue through the initiative since its establishment in 2003.
The findings show transparency moving beyond the publication of mining payments and into decisions over ownership, licensing, taxation and major project agreements. EITI data has helped governments flag suspect licence applications, scrutinize potentially undervalued transactions and forecast revenue from major mining developments.
The shift is gaining importance as competition for copper, lithium, nickel and other critical minerals accelerates. Resource-rich governments face the challenge of attracting investment while capturing sufficient public revenue and ensuring communities share in the benefits, making access to reliable project and ownership data increasingly important to negotiations and oversight.
Revenue leverage
Some of the clearest financial effects cited by EITI come from Africa, where governments have used disclosed data and financial modelling to reassess major mining agreements.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, an EITI-commissioned study identified deviations from the original Sicomines copper-cobalt agreement, including unfulfilled infrastructure commitments and changes in profit allocation.
The findings contributed to negotiations that produced a revised agreement in 2024, increasing planned infrastructure investment to $7 billion from $3 billion.
The DRC expanded that approach in 2025. Fiscal modelling of four large copper-cobalt projects identified billions of dollars in potential revenue risks, prompting authorities to extend project-level modelling to operations representing about 80% of mining fiscal revenue.
Ghana used similar analysis after proposing in 2020 to sell a 49% interest in Agyapa Royalties, backed by future gold royalties, for an estimated $500 million to $750 million. An EITI-commissioned model using production and royalty data valued the shares at as much as roughly $1.5 billion.
The transaction was suspended in 2021. Subsequent analysis estimated Ghana preserved $270 million to $300 million as gold prices climbed.
In Guinea, modelling of the giant Simandou iron ore project estimates it could generate $850 million to $1.7 billion in annual government revenue before 2035, giving policymakers a basis for managing the expected windfall.
Transparency has also influenced how mining wealth is divided. EITI reporting on Papua New Guinea’s Porgera gold mine informed negotiations that increased the government and landowners’ interest in the project to 51% from 15%.
Research cited by EITI suggests the effects could extend beyond individual projects.
A 2026 study covering 83 developing countries found EITI implementation increased natural-resource revenue, with significant benefits persisting for as long as a decade after countries joined. Separate research linked participation to stronger foreign direct investment, particularly in countries that started with relatively low transparency.
Mining scrutiny
Ownership and trade disclosures are also exposing potential losses and governance risks before mineral wealth reaches government coffers.
Cameroon reported just 22.3 kg of gold exports in 2023, while the United Arab Emirates recorded imports of more than 15 tonnes from the country that year. The discrepancy prompted enforcement measures and a presidential investigation into gold trafficking.
A separate study estimated Burkina Faso lost $4.9 billion through illicit mining-related financial flows between 2012 and 2021.
Beneficial-ownership records are increasingly influencing mining licence decisions. Armenia rejected a geological exploration application after authorities cross-checked ownership information and found unreliable disclosures. Ghana declined to renew a mining licence after analysis identified beneficial owners with criminal records in Australia, while Colombia has incorporated ownership checks into mining licensing due diligence.
The transparency push is extending into critical-minerals policy. Chile’s strategy identifies EITI as a framework for disclosure across the mining value chain. With Chile participating, more than half of global copper production and nearly one-third of lithium output fall within the scope of EITI reporting, according to the organization.
But greater disclosure does not necessarily produce better governance. A 2025 study covering 50 countries found EITI membership significantly increased transparency without delivering a measurable improvement in perceptions of corruption, underscoring the importance of political commitment, enforcement capacity and institutions willing to act on the information disclosed.
EITI also acknowledged that evidence of its broader impact remains uneven and that reforms generally cannot be attributed to transparency requirements alone. Its next test is whether increasingly accessible mining data consistently translates into government action as the global scramble for critical minerals raises the financial stakes for producing countries.
