Press release
Article 19 West Africa, in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure (MoICI) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of the Gambia, and with the support of the Ford Foundation, Unesco and the European Union in the Gambia, is organising a workshop on ”Promoting Access to Information in The Gambia”.
The high-level stakeholder workshop will be held tomorrow at the Senegambia Beach Hotel.
The workshop aims at building synergies to discuss the status of access to information in the country and inform the drafting of a Freedom of Information Bill in line with international standards and best practices. To this end, recommendations will be sought from participants for the Access to Information legal framework in The Gambia. Participants will include officials of the ministry of information and communication infrastructure, the Ministry of Justice, Members of the National Assembly, law enforcement officers, civil servants, representatives of the private sector, civil society organisations, journalists, and members of the diplomatic corps in The Gambia.
This workshop meets one of the objectives of an MoU signed by Article 19 West Africa, MoICI and MoJ this year, with the focus of reforming The Gambia’s laws and policies to advance freedom of expression, access to information, citizen participation and accountability in the country. The partnership also falls within the context of the Government’s efforts to strengthen democratic governance, and promote respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms. The panel sessions will offer an opportunity for both speakers and participants to deliberate on important topics related to Access to Information in the country.
