The Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) on Tuesday 17th October 2023 held a capacity building workshop for Public Information Officers of MDAs, Journalists and Non-State Actors on the recently enacted Right to Access Information Regulations.
The event, which was held at the Family Kingdom Resort in Freetown, attracted key stakeholders drawn from various Ministries, Department and Agencies, Journalists and non-state actors.
Delivering the keynote statement on behalf of the Minister of Information and Civic Education, the Director of Information, Mr. Emmanuel Adonis Momoh Turay said the ceremony marks another milestone in government’s commitment to increasing the Right to Access Information for all Sierra Leoneans. He said the event is necessary as it will arm participants with a better understanding of how to request for public information and the processes involved in releasing documents, respectively. He thanked the Commission for their relentless efforts in facilitating the development of the regulations leading to the approval by Parliament. He concluded by encouraging public authorities to ensure the proper and sustainable implementation of the RAI Act and to comply with its Regulations.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman and Information Commissioner of RAIC, Dr Ibrahim Seaga Shaw, welcomed participants from various MDAs in the country to what he described as yet another important day in the commission’s effort to strengthen the knowledge of those on the supply and demand side in the implementation of the Access to Information (ATI) Law. He said the newly enacted regulations provide details of the RAI Act of 2013 and that the regulations will be meaningless if left in the shelves, hence the reason for the ceremony to unveil their relevance to the RAI Law and particularly empower CSOs, Journalists and Public Information Officers of MDAs.
He said the RAI Law was derived from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and section 25 of the Sierra Leone Constitution which guarantees freedom of information and expression that serves as an institutional check to every aspect of Government.
“The RAI Regulations are important because they provide details to the RAI Act 2013 that have the potential to enhance easy and timely access to information. In particular, the Regulations provide form A (Freedom of Information Request form); form B (FOI request acknowledgement); form C (FOI response), and form D (FOI Complaint). I am happy to report that we are in the process of updating our web site to capture all these forms as data bases to ensure digital access to information and processing of information requests by MDAs,” said Dr shaw.
He concluded by using the occasion to extend sincere appreciation to the Minister of Information and Civic Education Hon Chernor Bah and his predecessor Hon. Mohamed Rahman Swarray, World Bank, PFMICP, and the Ministry of Finance for their remarkable support in the development, validation and approval of the RAI Regulations.
The Executive Secretary of RAIC, Hon. Mustapha Braima. who moderated the opening ceremony provided a recap of what the RAIC CIC said.
SLAJ President Mr. Ahmed Nasralla in his address said RAI Law is important to the work of journalists and the workshop is designed to equip the participants to be fully acquainted with the Regulations of the RAI Act. He called on CSOs and Journalists to make use of the Law as the Commission will encourage and protect them to hold public Authorities Accountable which will promote transparency, Accountability and good governance.
The representative from the Universal Access Development Fund (UADF) and the Executive Secretary of IMC in their statements commended the strides made by the commission since its reconstitution in 2018, especially in the dispensation of its mandate in the country.
SIGN ……………………………
Alhaji Bakarr Kanu, Public Information Officer RAIC.
