By Sariba Manneh
In its quest to enlighten stakeholders, partners, and the general public at large, The Gambia Press Union (GPU has recently engaged 25 government Information officers on the Implementation of the Access To Information (ATI) 2021 Act.
In collaboration with the CSO Coalition on Access to Information and funding from the United Nations Democracy Fund, the event was meant to expose government information officers to good and effective public information management practices and good practices on ATI law implementation plans.
Participants were also enlightened on the role of the Media Council of The Gambia (MCG) in promoting journalistic compliance.
Speaking at the event, Modou S. Joof, GPU Secretary General, said the activity forms part of a two-year project funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) that the Gambia Press Union (GPU) is implementing in collaboration with the Civil Society Coalition on Access to Information, the Media Council of the Gambia, and government partners like the Department of Information Services (DOIS).
“The project focuses on strengthening public access to information and media professionalism in The Gambia, and to strengthen public awareness and understanding of the ATI law,” he said.
According to Joof, the project is designed to maximise the benefits of the ATI law by promoting information requests from journalists and members of the public, information provision from the government, and the potential benefits derived from the application of the law.
“Today, we are not dealing with the law, clause-by-clause, because we’ve had previous training that already looked at all the provisions in the ATI law, holistically. However, we will be discussing the role of information officers as it relates to good document management practices and case studies on ATI law implementation from other countries,” he said.
Joof stated that under the ATI Act, Information Officers are responsible for gathering, documenting, and disseminating information about governmental institutions in a manner that facilitates easy access to such information by the general public.
He said Section 6 of the ATI law, creates a duty on every public body (or government institution) to create, keep, organize, and maintain its information in a manner that facilitates access to information.
“This follows that public bodies should produce information in respect of all its activities; arrange all information in its possession systematically and in a manner that facilitates prompt and easy identification and access; and keep all information in its possession in good condition and in a manner that preserves the safety and integrity of its contents,” he added.
Senior Information Officer, Department of Information Services – Madiba Sillah, said since the passing of the law, the Ministry and the Department have been working assiduously together with partners like GPU on the implementation mechanism of the Law, adding that a series of consultations and capacity-building exercises were conducted to enhance institutional and personnel readiness for implementation.
“The Ministry’s setting up of the Key Stakeholders Forum (KSF), of which GPU is a valuable constituent, embodies our conviction that implementing such a mammoth program requires a collective endeavour; but also, an affirmation of our fervent belief in the spirit of teamwork, is a continuum of the same spirited concerted efforts between government and civil society that brought about the ATI Act in place,” he said.
He added that the importance of Access to Information cannot be over-emphasized; hence many international conventions and organs have recognized the inevitability of an effective mechanism for access to public information in a functional democracy. He said the Human Rights Council General Assembly 2020 resolution called on “public authorities to strive to make information available; the Windhoek +30 Declaration, adopted in May 2021, affirms the need to uphold information as a public good that serves as a shared resource for the whole of humanity; as well as the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 16.10, which specifically calls for states to “ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, per national legislation and international agreements.”
Mr. Sillah also noted that there is an overwhelming acknowledgment that access to information affords necessary enabling mechanisms for transparent, accountable, and participatory governance.
“Additionally, it is worth noting that access to diverse information enhances informed decision-making; thus, encourages participation in national development,” he said.
He stated that it was in recognition of the power of information and the desire to create the right political and legal mechanism for access to public information that the Gambia Government signed the Access to Information Law in August 2021.
“And the enactment of the law is indeed a profound testament to the commitments of His Excellency President Adama Barrow and his government to the ideals of democracy and a conviction that meaningful participation in democratic processes requires a citizenry that is well-informed,” he said.
“Moreover, in its quest to transform The Gambia into a beacon of democracy, the government has been passionately creating the right environment for citizens’ unrestricted participation in national decision-making processes,” Sillah stated.
He added that together with other partners, the Ministry has developed an implementation framework for the ATI Act, which serves as a vital guiding tool for Information Officers and public institutions.
According to him, the key missing link in the implementation process of the ATI Act has been the absence of the Access to Information Commission. “I am glad to announce that the nominated Information Commissioners have been approved by cabinet and their appointments await parliament’s confirmation, which we are hopeful will happen sooner rather than later.”
He said that he believes that the decision to engage Information Officers in gauging the progress and discussing challenges in the implementation process of the ATI Law is timely and critical – for as first responders to request information under the law, Information Officers have a critical and demanding responsibility.
“I would like to reiterate that the Department will continue to build partnerships with relevant institutions – both state and non-state actors – for the smooth and effective implementation of the Access to Information Law, as well as in many other development interventions,” he promised.
