𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐂 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝟗𝟖% 𝐌𝐂𝐂 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

The Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) wishes to inform the general public that it warmly welcomes news that Sierra Leone has scored an astronomical mark of 98% in Freedom of Information in the 2023 Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Global Scorecard, outperforming Ghana scoring 88% and Nigeria scoring 38%.
As the body entrusted by law to widen the opportunities to claim access to crucial information and give citizens the right to be informed about policy decisions, actions of government and conduct of state functionaries, the RAIC has been extensively embarking on public consultations, capacity building, institutional and infrastructural developments, public engagements and sensitizations on the Right to Access Information (RAI) Act 2013, the obligations of public authorities to proactively disclose information and the right of the citizens to access information. The MCC recognition gives an idea of the progress Sierra Leone has made in Access to Information (ATI) which is fundamental to transparency, accountability and good governance.
“I am not surprised that Sierra Leone has made a quantum leap in freedom of information to date looking at the achievements that have been made by the RAIC in working extensively with MDAs, non-state actors, and international partners such as the World Bank, UNESCO and OSIWA in promoting freedom of information; it shows that Sierra Leone has made significant progress in making the transition from a culture of secrecy to one of openness,” said RAIC Chairman and Information Commissioner, Dr Ibrahim Seaga Shaw.
Some of the achievements on Freedom of Information (FOI) since the reconstitution of this current Commission in October 2018 include the role of the Commission in ensuring Sierra Leone was among the six countries that co-sponsored the United Nations Resolution that declared 28th September as the International Day of Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) on the 15th of October, 2019. Sierra Leone also became the 24th Member of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) on the 24th September 2019. The Chairman and Information Commissioner (CIC) of the RAIC was elected member of the ICIC Executive Committee at the organization’s conference in Johannesburg, in March, 2019. Again, the RAIC CIC currently sits on the Committee of Africa Network of Information Commissioners (ANIC) following his election to that position at the last International Conference of Information Commissioners annual conference held in June this year in Peubla in Mexico. Sierra Leone and Ghana are the only two oversight bodies in the sub-region that are represented on that committee.
Since September 2019 to date, Sierra Leone has participated in the Annual UNESCO Survey on Freedom of information. The data on adoption and implementation of the ATI law contributed to the survey over the past four years shows a clear and steady progress in the rate of compliance on Freedom of Information in Sierra Leone. For instance in 2019, the Commission recorded 112 FOI cases of which 50% were responded to positively. In 2020, 144 FOI cases were recorded; out of which, 132 were responded to. In 2021, 369 FOI requests were recorded of which 332 were successful. For the first time Sierra Leone through the RAIC participated in the Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2021 on SDG 16.10.2 which relates to Public Access to Information and the Protection of Fundamental Freedoms. VNR is a process through which countries assess and present progress made in achieving the global Sustainable Development goals. It helps countries integrate human rights data, analysis, and approaches.
Moreover, from 2019 to now, Sierra Leone has been consistently making progress in its score card on freedom of information. In 2019, Sierra Leone scored 71%. It jumped up to 85% in 2020 and 2021, and then made another huge leap in 2022 scoring 90%, and then much bigger leap for 2023 scoring 98%.
The Repeal of Part 5 of the 1965 Public Order Act that criminalizes libel in 2020 thanks to the efforts of His Excellency the President, the Minister of Information and Communication, IMC, House of Parliament, SLAJ, and other key stakeholders, also contributed to providing the enabling environment for the steady progress Sierra Leone as a country has made in freedom of information over the past three to four years.
For media inquiries, contact:
David Patrick Kamara
Public Information Officer
Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC) National Secretariat
+23278407847
Email: [email protected]