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Africa unites for the right to access to information
Over time, access to information has been seen as only affecting one sector, more often the media and not the wider society. Right to information must be about all of society. Access to information is not just about those that hold or store the information, it is also about the role those in the middle have to play to ensure information is widely disseminated often and frequently...
ANIC is a Network of Information Commissioners, Ombudsmen, and other Regulatory Authorities, including Transparency Councils or Boards responsible for protecting, promoting and ensuring the respect of the right of access to information within their respective jurisdictions.
The event organized by both UNESCO and the Network, gathered 11 Member States of ANIC namely, South Africa, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Seychelles, South Sudan, Morocco, Ethiopia and Kenya. Additionally, potential new members from Tanzania, Namibia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as experts and representatives of civil society organizations.
The meeting gave an opportunity for participants to assess the status of access to information in Africa, to benchmark transparency and access to public information within the institutional networks of Africa and identify capacity building needs dedicated to the promotion of access to information in the continent.
Mr. Washington Sati, Vice Chairperson of the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman), Kenya.
The event was officially opened by Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and information, Ms. Leslie Richer, Director of Information and Communication Directorate - African Union Commission, and Dr. Abraham Korir Sing’oei, Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs and co-convener of Open Government Partnership for Kenya.
In their address they emphasized on the value of right to information for the wellbeing of societies, recognized the obstacles and challenges towards guaranteeing its accessibility in Africa, and reaffirmed their institutions commitment to strengthening ANIC’s advisory mandate.
The two-day meeting focused on the strategic positioning and institutional development of ANIC. Members were given an overview of ANIC activities in 2022 and 2023, a presentation of the commitments of the UN as well as programs and tools designed by the UN system dedicated to the promotion of access to information.
During the workshop, access to data in regard to digital developments such as AI, data collection and data storage were identified as key challenges. Moreover, the participants were oriented on the UNESCO massive online course on the promotion of access to information and the Canadian experience on access to information from the Centre of Law and Democracy.
The climax of the meeting was a visit to the Commission on Administrative Justice (Office of the Ombudsman) in Kenya, where members learnt about the milestones Kenya has achieved in securing the right of access to information, and the interlinkages with continental and international legal frameworks.
UNESCO is the designated UN agency for SDG 16.10.2 on adoption and implementation of the constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information. Out of 55 AU Member States, UNESCO’s last report shows that 27 countries (25 from Sub-Saharan Africa + Tunisia and Morocco) have adopted statutory guarantees for public access to information, and significant progress has been recorded worldwide making a total of 135 UN Member States that have adopted access to information laws.
Nevertheless, access to information remains a key challenge to the promotion of sustainable development in its entirety.
Overall, the meeting not only enabled members to acquire knowledge from others to further the impact of their work but allowed the emergence of a common vision regarding challenges and strategic priorities, to be used as a benchmark by each participant in their promotion of access to information on the continent. As members who convened look forward to the next gathering, the two days spent in Nairobi will be remembered as a testimony to the joint efforts of all in promoting access to information as a public good and as an essential means to achieve sustainable development in Africa.
