International Alert organised a three-day seminar for civil society aimed at exchanging information and increasing transparency in the management of oil revenues in the island state of São Tomé and Príncipe…The event occurred just weeks before the launch of the first round of licensing bids for the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone in London on 2nd March 2010...Alert has been conducting conflict prevention in the country since 2004 to strengthen the capacities of the media, civil society organisations and parliamentarians so that São Tomé and Príncipe’s anticipated oil exploration can be used for development, through an equitable distribution of oil wealth...The seminar raised the awareness of civil society about the structures and processes that have been set up in the country surrounding oil exploration and promoted civil society’s engagement with all stakeholders…