By Saffiatou Colley
Gambia Press Union (GPU) on Wednesday organized a day-long policy dialogue with key stakeholders from government, civil society, academia and the private sector on effective implementation mechanism on the Access to Information Act, 2021.
The activity, held on July 31, 2024, forms part of a two-year project funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF).
“This dialogue is aimed at facilitating a collaborative and inclusive discussion among key stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the access to information law, to promote transparency and accountability, and to facilitate the right of access to information,” the GPU President, Muhammed S. Bah, said.
Bah also welcomed the confirmation of the commissioners for the Information Commission which will be responsible for monitoring and enforcing the implementation of the law.
“As stakeholders from diverse sectors, we have the unique opportunity to contribute to a robust implementation framework that will empower citizens, strengthen governance, and enhance public trust in government,” Bah said.
“As we move forward, it is imperative that the Ministry of Information works diligently to ensure that the Information Commission is fully operational, with the necessary office space and logistics to commence its work without delay. This process must be expedited to meet the expectations set forth by the ATI law.”
The policy dialogue discussed the Draft ATI Implementation Framework – the government’s plan for the implementation of the ATI Act, and gathered suggestions from the partiucipants on how best to improve the Framework.
The recommendations gathered from this policy dialogue will form the basis for our discussions with the Ministry of Information for the government to include in its ATI Act implementation framework, GPU Secretary General Modou S. Joof said.
Amie Njie, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, said that as part of the strategy to ensure effective implementation of ATI law, the Ministry conducted a baseline assessment on the capacities and preparations of Government in implementing the Act.
“Key finding of the assessment revealed the absence of a robust strategy or plan to guide and fully implement of the Act,” she said in her keynote address.
“This forum is therefore apt and timely as it will serve as a platform for key stakeholders to deliberate on the implementation modalities of the ATI Act. Moreover, it will offer valuable feedback and advisory to the Ministry, the ATI Commissioners, in particular, in developing a holistic implementation framework that would ensure the full implementation of all the obligations set in the Act,” Njie said.
Gambia’s access to information legislative framework grants the citizens – and everyone else – the legal right of access to information that the government and private entities keep for or on behalf of the public. The success of the ATI legislation, however, lies not just in the quality of the legal instrument, but also in its application, use, and implementation.
Neneh MacDouall-Gaye, the Chairperson of the Information Commission, said that the Commission have not lost sight of the hard and effective work that have been put into the campaign for an access to information law.
“We are fully aware that for a successful implementation of the ATI law there must be coordinated efforts among civil society organizations, public officials, public institutions, journalists, academia and other citizens,” she said. “The Commission therefore stand ready to work with all actors.”
She said the policy dialogue is a testament to “our collective resolve to ensure that the ATI Act is not merely a piece of legislation but a living, breathing instrument of democracy”. “Our primary goal today is to facilitate a collaborative and inclusive discussion among key stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the ATI Act. This endeavor is critical to promoting transparency and accountability within our institutions.”
John Charles Njie, the outgoing Chair of the CSO Collation on ATI, who is now appointed as Deputy Chairperson of the Information Commission, commended all stakeholders for the work done on access to information – from the campaign for a law to the implementation stage.
“One of the reasons why the ATI law was passed successfully is the continuous sensitization and engagement across the board and across the country,” Njie said. He also urged stakeholders to hold the Information Commission accountable in order to ensure the effective implementation of the access to information law.
