The Minister of Information, Lamin Queen Jammeh has said that the Access to Information (ATI ) Act 2021 was “the result of our collective resolve to entrench and elevate the democratic credentials of The Gambia to an enviable height”. He said this last week while addressing a gathering commemorating the International Day of Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) which was held in the form of a symposium. The forum was organised by the Gambia Press Union (GPU) at Metzy Hotel, in Kotu, and the theme was ‘State of preparedness for the implementation of the Access to Information Act, 2021’.
Further in his speech the Minister described information as a public good and that its access is a fundamental human right embodying the right to expression, association and interaction. “On the basis of this supposition, access to information is an important constituent of democratization process that seeks to promote the critical enablers and the impeccable foundations for transparency, accountability and quality in the public service delivery”. He noted that in accenting to the ATI Bill 2021 into law, President Barrow has laid bare his clear commitment and that of his government to open up to public scrutiny on a scale never seen before.
Minister Jammeh went on to highlight the progress made in the implementation of the ATI Act, which he said includes a study tour to Ghana which resulted to the development of an implementation roadmap, development of TOR for the hiring of a consultant to develop an ATI implementation framework and strategy, to which the National Democratic Institute (NDI) expressed interest to fund and another one for hiring a consultant to develop a medium-term strategic plan for the ministry that is capable of implementing the ATI Act 2021. “I am again happy to report that Freedom House under the USAID has shown concrete commitment to fund the consultancy. The Ministry is working on three other proposals that in the near future will be socialized with the relevant stakeholders for immediate implementation upon the availability of financial resources”.
He added that the creation of the Information Commission has been factored in the 2023 Budget Preparation.
Minister Jammeh therefore called on all stakeholders to support the Ministry with the required resources to mount an integrated public sensitisation campaign for the popularisation of the ATI Act 2021 at all levels of the society. This he said, is essential for the laying of strong foundations critical to the formation of information and knowledge societies.
“I am optimistic that the existence of the current political environment, collective energies of the CSO coalition and the unquestionable determination of my Ministry, the ATI will be fruitfully implemented to the delight of all stakeholders.
For her part, Ms Isatou Keita, Vice President of the Gambia Press Union (GPU) stated that in The Gambia, public interest in Access to Information has grown in recent years following an unprecedented five-year CSO-led right-to-know campaign.
She noted that the legislative framework in the Access to Information Act, 2021, grants the citizens, and everyone else, the legal right of access to information that the government and private entities keep on behalf of the public.
However, she said the success of the ATI legislation lies not just in the quality of the legal instrument, but also in its application, use, and implementation.
“We recognise that the government has a great role to play as it is tasked with setting up the necessary mechanisms (the physical and digital structures) needed for the implementation of the law”.
Ms Keita hence pointed out that the symposium would set in motion advocacy activities by the GPU and the CSO Coalition on Access to Information around the implementation of the ATI legislation.
