The Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) reminds all Public Authorities of their statutory obligation to develop, update, or complete their Proactive Disclosure of Information (PDI) Schemes, in accordance with Section 8 of the Right to Access Information (RAI) Act, 2013.
Section 8 of the Act mandates all public authorities to proactively publish information related to their functions, decision-making processes, budget allocations, procurement activities, and other matters of public interest. This is a key pillar of transparency and public accountability.
While the Commission acknowledges and appreciates the efforts of those MDAs and public bodies that have engaged in the process of disclosing the classes of information required to be proactively disclosed by the RAI Act of 2013, a significant number are yet to begin, or complete, this critical process. The Commission therefore urges all such bodies to seize this opportunity to comply without further delay.
The Commission has just issued formal correspondences to all MDAs, calling on them to fulfil their obligations under the RAI Act. This includes both:
Those who have already commenced the PDI process but are yet to complete or update it, and
Those who have not started at all.
Failure to comply constitutes a breach of the Act. The Proactive Disclosure of Information PDI and Annual Compliance Report are key compliance indicators for all public authorities which is why we believe that must treat with utmost seriousness.
The benefits of proactive disclosure go beyond legal compliance. It fosters public trust, enhances institutional transparency, reduces the administrative burden of responding to repeated information requests, and promotes efficiency in service delivery.
As emphasized by the Chairman and Information Commissioner, Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw:
“Voluntary disclosure of information serves the interest of the public and accentuates the performance of the MDAs. Over and above that, timely and proactive dissemination of information is critical to the transparency and accountability that have reputably characterized the growing Sierra Leone open governance ecosystem.”
All Public Authorities are encouraged to download the PDI and ACR templates from the RAIC website (www.raic.gov.sl) and submit completed documents to the Commission via the following email addresses:
RAIC remains committed to supporting all institutions in fulfilling their responsibilities under the law and building a more transparent and accountable public sector. All public authorities that are yet to complete their Annual Compliance Report (ACR) template and submit to the Commission are hereby encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to also complete it and submit.
For media enquires, contact:
Amara Thoronka
Public Information and Communication Officer
RAIC National Secretariat
+232 88 283632
