𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐂/𝐈𝐃𝐔𝐀𝐈 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐂’𝐬 𝐏𝐃𝐈 & 𝐀𝐂𝐑 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞

The commitment was made during the Ministry’s Fortnightly Inter-Agency Meeting, held at the Ministry’s Conference Centre on Gloucester Street, Freetown, on 12th February 2026 where a delegation from RAIC, led by its Chairman and Information Commissioner, Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw, delivered a comprehensive presentation to heads and representatives of agencies under the Ministry.

Dr. Shaw thanked the Minister for the opportunity to engage the sector and described Sierra Leone’s hosting of ICIC/IDUAI 2026, scheduled for 28th–30th September 2026, as a historic milestone. He added that the conference is expected to attract approximately 300 international delegates and a total of about 500 participants, further positioning Sierra Leone as a respected actor in the global transparency and governance arena.

Given the international scope of the event, Dr. Shaw highlighted areas requiring collaboration with the Ministry and its agencies, including security coordination, immigration facilitation, visa-on-arrival arrangements, and visa waivers for foreign participants. He noted that some agencies are already serving on planning subcommittees and emphasized that RAIC remains open to further technical discussions to finalize arrangements.

The Chairman and Information Commissioner also used the opportunity to remind agencies of their statutory obligations under the Right to Access Information Act, particularly the submission of their Proactive Disclosure Information (PDI) Schemes and Annual Compliance Reports (ACR) by the extended deadline of 16th February, following the earlier deadline of 22nd January.

Dr. Shaw informed the meeting that Access to Information (ATI) compliance is now part of the performance tracking indicators at State House for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), urging institutions to take compliance seriously in order to improve their transparency ratings.

In his response, Minister Rtd AIG Morie Lengor commended RAIC for the informative presentation, stating that he had gained significant insight from the engagement. According to him, Agencies under his ministry are the Sierra Leone Police, National Fire Force, Sierra Leone Commission on Small Arms and Ammunition, Sierra Leone Correctional Services, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Independent Police Complaints Board, and the National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA).

The Minister reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring the success of the international conference, noting that the event will further demonstrate that Sierra Leone is safe and capable of hosting high-level global gatherings. He requested RAIC to submit a detailed list of expected international participants, including their arrival and departure dates, to facilitate security planning and visa on landing arrangements.

Also addressing the meeting, Mr. David Patrick Kamara, Manager of Public Information and Communications at RAIC, highlighted key compliance challenges, including failure by some institutions to properly log corrected data on information requests received, the misconception that requests are limited to journalists, and general reporting lethargy.

Mr. Kamara clarified that information requests can be oral or written and may be made by any member of the public, not only journalists. He urged agencies to systematically record and report all requests on a monthly or quarterly basis across departments and reiterated RAIC’s open-door policy to provide technical guidance where necessary.

At the close of the meeting, the Minister appointed Mr. Umar Mannah Timbo, Deputy Director of Policy and Coordination at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as the focal person to coordinate the Ministry and its agencies’ commitments to RAIC obligations and to ensure improved performance during evaluation.

RAIC continues to strengthen partnerships with key institutions as Sierra Leone prepares to host ICIC/IDUAI 2026 and deepen compliance with the Right to Access Information Act.

For media inquiries, contact:

David Patrick Kamara

Manager, Public Information and Communications

Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) National Secretariat

+23278407847

Email : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.