The Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) has on Tuesday 12th December, launched its 2022 Annual Report at the Ministry of Finance Conference Room on George Street in Freetown.
The Report shows the progress the Commission has made in increasing the rate of compliance with the Right to Access Information Law in Sierra Leon
Launching the report, the Chairman and Information Commissioner (CIC ) Dr Ibrahim Seaga Shaw said the report has five parts, including the Composition of the Commission; activities and achievements; status of compliance with the RAI law by public authorities; financial statements; challenges and lessons, as well as Key Priorities and the Way Forward. He said this is the fourth report produced by the Commission since he took over in 2018. He said despite the progress made so far, the road has been bumpy due to the culture of secrecy that had obtained in the past but through intensive nation-wide popularisation of the RAI law and capacity building of the suppliers and requesters of information, those challenges have gradually been surmounted. He made reference to the annual UNESCO survey that his Commission takes part in every year since 2019 that tracks the progress of countries on SDG 16.10.2 which relates to access to public information and the protection of fundamental rights. The RAIC Chairman added that he was glad to report that Sierra Leone has made significance leap comparatively as the total of information requests recorded in 2019 was a little over 100 whereas over 13,000 information requests were recorded nation-wide for 2022. The RAIC CIC added that the Commission monitors and report on compliance by the MDAs on the Proactive Disclosure of Information(PDI) and information requests every year and put this information in their annual report of the previous year. He said the Annual Compliance Report also captures the status of compliance with freedom of information requests by MDAs for instance the number of requests recorded, the number responded to, and those denied and why.
Moderating the event, the Executive Secretary of RAIC Hon. Mustapha Braima said the RAIC is proud of the consistent progress made in fulfilling its mandate.
Justice Dr. Abu Bakarr Binneh Kamara, High Court Judge and Acting Dean of Faculty of Law, who was also one of the pioneers of the RAI law applauded the RAIC for what he referred to as an excellent national service it had rendered to Sierra Leone over the years, noting that information is power and when citizens are fed with the right and genuine information, they will be able to hold the government to account. He urged the Commission to ensure the report is widely disseminated so that its work would be visible and ensure that everyone who receives emoluments from the Government of Sierra Leone should provide information whenever a request is made save the exemptions that are enshrined in sections 12 to 26 of the RAI Act.
Deputy Minister of Public Administration and Political Affairs, Hon. Phillip Tetema Tondoneh referred to the RAIC as an integral part of governance in the country and the rest of the world and its work cannot be underestimated. The work of the RAIC, he added, is key to international development trajectories such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) and the African Union’s 7 Aspirations. He called on the RAIC to partner with donor organization to discuss the progress made this far in the report and to see how they can support their work.
This is the 4th Annual Report launched since the reconstitution of the RAIC in 2018 and all happened under the watch and leadership of the newly reappointed CIC Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw and his team of commissioners who have been given the mandate for another 5 years.
For media inquiries, contact:
David Patrick Kamara - Public Information Officer
Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) National Secretariat / +23278407847
