Making Information Disclosure in Extractive Governance Count for Accountability in Mozambique

A recent study on information disclosure in the extractive sector has found 18 factors that result in citizen and institutional (state and non-state) inaction in demanding government accountability. Conducted by the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) in collaboration with the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), as part of the Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) research programme, the study shows that citizens and/or institutions are unlikely to demand government accountability when: • citizens’ are experiencing high levels of economic vulnerability but much of the access to economic opportunities are anchored around state patronage and network; • a single political party has dominated governments for a long period of time and the mode of selection of Parliamentarians is defined by a ‘party list’, and not directly elected by the people; • CSOs have weak citizens’ mobilisation strategies and information disclosure is presented in a written form in a context where adult illiteracy rate is 45%; • there is an institutional culture of ‘submissiveness’ created out of fear of the political regime