Financial Transparency Coalition

Standing at the pump, watching the numbers tick away, do you ever wonder where the money goes? You're not alone: People on the other end of the pipeline are wondering too. While we feel the pinch in our pockets, citizens of oil-producing countries are often not seeing the profits.

Standing at the pump, watching the numbers tick away, do you ever wonder where the money goes? You're not alone: People on the other end of the pipeline are wondering too. While we feel the pinch in our pockets, citizens of oil-producing countries are often not seeing the profits.

Looking at 2012, experts from the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative (AGI) and colleagues from think tanks based in the region have come together to produce this year’s issue of Foresight Africa, where they outline the top priorities for the continent for 2012 and beyond. AGI scholars assess what they see as the major challenges for Africa in the coming year and provide policy recommendations on how to manage these challenges and leverage opportunities to catalyze and reignite growth in 2012. Similarly, AGI and its partner think tanks identify country-specific challenges in Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal and Kenya.

This fall is shaping up to be a critical season for financial transparency. As the Task Force on Financial Integrity and Economic Development prepares for its annual conference on October 6-7, key decisions on country-by-country reporting are anticipated in the U.S. and from the European Commission. Meanwhile, international attention to tax loss facilitated by financial secrecy continues to grow as the global economic crisis drags on. Recently, PWYP Norway’s Piping Profits report highlighted the role regulatory gaps can play in shaping the tax strategies of multinational companies, often to the fiscal detriment of the countries they operate in. The report...