This project intends to strengthen the capacity of selected African countries to negotiate and implement equitable and robust contracts in the extractive sector, as well as monitor the implementation of these contracts. Since African countries have a large share of their economies dependent on revenues from natural resources export, the need to improve capacity for contract negotiation in extractive industries has become more relevant and crucial for long-term growth and transformation of the continent. The project will build on ECA's training courses on mineral policy and contract negotiations; and similar initiatives established by the African Development Bank and other institutions. The key activities will include organizing an inter-regional consultation of experts to agree on the tenets that should inform UNCTAD, ECLAC and ESCAP interventions in the EI and the framework for collaboration; developing a database of contracts from Africa and beyond; developing templates, guidelines, and toolkits for contract negotiations in EI; organizing capacity building activities for relevant public officials to improve their capacity to negotiate contracts in the EI; developing platforms to disseminate and popularize the templates, guidelines and toolkits, as well as promote knowledge and experience sharing on contract negotiations in the extractive sector; publishing a compendium of good and bad practices on contract negotiations; organizing capacity building activities for relevant public officials and other stakeholders to strengthen their capacity in monitoring the implementation of contracts; and developing platforms to promote knowledge and experience sharing on contract monitoring in the extractive sector.