The Right to Access Information Commission RAIC has become the recent beneficiary of the magnanimity of the World Bank with Fifty Thousand United State dollars (USD$50000) to popularize the RAI Act. This was made known at a press briefing held on Friday 12th January 2018, at the commission’s headquarters on St. Paul Drive IMATT.
The Chairman and Information Commissioner of the RAIC, Unisa Sesay said the funding from World Bank is a big boost in the awareness raising drive of the commission, adding that it will give the people an in-depth understanding of the practices and procedures of the commission. Mr. Sesay said since the commission was established in October 2014, it had never received any external funding, which is why they as a commission appreciate the efforts of the World Bank. The Information Commissioner assured the World Bank that the popularization project, for which the fifty thousand dollars ($50.000) was provided, will be judiciously implemented.
Cross Section of the media in attendance
The US$ 50.000 popularization package will involve the hosting of press conferences, putting out of radio jingles in five local languages, live discussion programs for both radio and TV, training of civil servants in Ministries Departments and Agencies MDAs, production and reproduction of brochures and TV skits amongst others, all of which will be implemented nationwide through the RAIC regional offices in BO, Kenema and Makeni. Over 25 journalists from the major media houses in Freetown attended the briefing.
The RAI Act was enacted into law on the 29th October, 2013, after sustained advocacy by the media and civil Society organizations which subsequently saw the establishment of the RAIC a year later. It is believed that the funding will help promote an open data policy in the young democracy of Sierra Leone.
