At a one-day sensitization workshop organized by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), stakeholders have committed to effective implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (2011) to enhance transparency in governance.
The workshop was an opportunity for stakeholders to evaluate the importance of this piece of legislation in the fight against corruption through the instrumentality of transparency and accountability, which are the essence of the Act.
Despite the value inherent in the Act, it was observed that public institutions and non-state actors have not come to terms on how it can be used to enrich data for societal development. It is strongly believed that the dearth of data in the public sector is detrimental to the economy.
Sessions from the workshop encouraged public institutions to leverage technology for effective implementation of the FOIA, and called for greater transparency among stakeholders to deepen understanding of the Act across the nation. Stakeholders also agreed that access to information will lead to informed investment decisions that will address the nation’s current economic woes.
As one of the justifications for the Center’s Transparency and Integrity Index (TII), an Index developed to evaluate and monitor public institution’s compliance with laws that mandate them to disclose their activities, section 2 of the FOIA highlights the core of the assessment. It mandates MDAs to proactively disclose information on their public websites and portals for easy access by citizens.
At the workshop, the Center encouraged stakeholders to commit to promoting transparency by implementing the provisions of the FOIA.