37 We have also invested in workshops to deepen the sector knowledge of other government agencies, such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Our goal is to help Senegal prepare for the day when offshore hydrocarbon production begins. Our support for capacity building extends beyond government to include civil society. When a 24-person delegation from Senegal – comprised of EITI committee members, parliamentarians, and civil society groups – visited their counterparts in Accra to learn more about Ghana’s experience embracing transparency and good governance, Kosmos hosted the group at its office and participated in the productive discussion. Similarly, Kosmos invested in sending two civil society representatives to attend a Natural Resources Governance Institute (NRGI) summer school in Cameroon on responsible management of the extractive industry. One of the sponsored participants was from Senegal’s Human Rights Committee (Comité Sénégalais des Droits de l’Homme), and the other from the Senegal EITI. Fishing Communities and the Environment In 2015, we conducted a detailed review of social investment opportunities and potential partners in Senegal to inform our approach. This included extensive engagement with NGOs, civil society, and government bodies to understand concerns and identify development priorities. In 2016, we began to expand our social investments accordingly, with a focus on coastal and fishing communities. Based on information gathered from fishermen and their families during the consultation process for our pre-drilling ESIA, Kosmos worked with seven artisanal fishing associations known as the Conseils Locaux de Pêche Artisanale to develop a novel and sustainable program that improves safety and protects livelihoods. Kosmos provided global positioning systems, solar lamps that illuminate night fishing and serve as distress beacons, and life vests to the fishing associations. The associations are now selling the equipment to their members at a subsidized price. The revenue generated can then be used by the associations to: •  Invest in more equipment thereby creating a virtuous cycle of safety consciousness •  Invest in the fishing associations’ social funds, which provide a safety net for fishermen and their families who have suffered work-related accidents resulting in disability or loss of their equipment, and •  Invest in capacity building programs for association members who seek to improve their livelihoods. Decisions regarding the use and disbursement of funds are made locally by the multi-stakeholder group that manages the associations. Kosmos’ focus on social investments in coastal communities extends to activities aimed at protecting the environment. In 2016, we conducted a 12-month, transparent and competitive request for proposals process to identify a preferred social investment partner to work with us in the fishing communities of Saint Louis, northern Senegal. Following this, Kosmos joined with Le Partenariat, a leading NGO that has been working in the Saint Louis area for more than 30 years, to implement a project addressing several environmental risks that are impacting the quality of life of fishing communities along the Langue de Barbarie. The key components of the project include: •  A mangrove reforestation effort to combat coastal erosion, which includes tree planting and the introduction of a community environmental observatory •  Interventions to improve fishing livelihoods, including providing biogas as an alternative source of energy to women working in fish processing and the introduction of 500 artificial reefs on the Senegal River •  A waste management effort to combat pollution in the area, including the revival of local groups to collect and process household waste. Up to 30,000 people will benefit from the project’s activities, including 3,000 women working in fish processing. Le Partenariat’s approach is highly transparent and participative. Local communities were heavily involved in the development of the project, which helps to increase community ownership and support. A technical monitoring committee will be created to oversee the project’s execution and will be comprised of relevant local government departments and agencies, as well as community groups. Kosmos’ employees participate in a meeting in our office in Dakar, where we had ten employees at year-end 2016.