Case Studies
Our case study library demonstrates how effective and versatile our framework is.
Spanning various countries, our portfolio showcases Beneficial Ownership.
Michael and Tim were part of a team of international and Azerbaijani 
consultants who delivered support to the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan to implement a beneficial ownership disclosure roadmap.
The project was funded by the Asian Development Bank and included:
- An inception visit and report,
- Analysis of international good practice using six comparator countries and international standards such as FATF and EITI,
- A detailed definition of beneficial ownership,
- The mechanism required for implementation, administration and verification,
- Legal review,
- Draft implementing legislation,
- A public consultation process,
- Awareness-raising activities including producing an explanatory video.
Michael, Tim and the team delivered the project through a combination of permanent on the ground presence, carefully planned field visits and remote working. The result was the delivery of the package for the implementation of a beneficial ownership reporting and disclosure regime that had buy-in from all key stakeholders including government, industry and civil society.
Michael and Tim were part of a team of international and Ghanaian consultants delivering economy-wide beneficial ownership transparency in Ghana, funded by the British government. Ghana amended its Companies Act to implement a public beneficial ownership register as part of efforts to enhance trust in its business environment. The Registrar-General requested technical assistance with implementing the provisions.
Michael and Tim supported:
- A review of the new Companies Act legislation to assess areas to be included in regulations and guidance
- Drafting of regulations and guidance for approval by the Registrar General
- Design of reporting templates and detailed instructions for completion
- Advice on a phased roll-out of the beneficial ownership reporting regime
- Advice on methods of verification of beneficial ownership data
- Workshops and training for a range of stakeholders
- Technical input to the scripting of informational videos on the fundamentals of beneficial ownership
This was successfully delivered throughout the COVID-19 restrictions by a combination of local face-to-face engagement and remote working. Michael, Tim and the team have assisted in moving the process in Ghana forward to the point where beneficial ownership forms have been issued, and data is being collected.
Ethiopia EITI met the requirement for developing a roadmap for beneficial ownership disclosure by December 2016. However, the EITI International Secretariat identified weaknesses in it and offered budgetary support to the Ethiopia EITI MSG. Ethiopia EITI also faced resistance from some extractive companies in the country about the need to report beneficial ownership information.
Michael Barron and Tim Law won a competitive tender to provide support to Ethiopia EITI, including advising the country’s EITI secretariat around implementing EITI beneficial ownership requirements. In March 2017, we produced a scoping study for beneficial ownership reporting requirements in Ethiopia, including:
- Reviewing the existing Ethiopia EITI roadmap and the EITI report which included beneficial ownership disclosure
- Assessing existing and proposed legislation around beneficial ownership reporting and providing comments
- Interviewing stakeholders from Ethiopia’s government, civil society and industry
- Benchmarking Ethiopia against best practice in beneficial ownership disclosure
- Conducting a workshop in Addis Ababa attended by companies in scope for reporting and civil society representatives.
We produced two well-received reports: the scoping study and a review of Ethiopia EITI’s roadmap, available here. Ethiopia EITI was able to address the weaknesses in its roadmap. The companies in scope for reporting also understood the advantages of beneficial ownership and their obligations under the EITI requirements.
