The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and The Gambia’s Access to Information (ATI) Commission have committed to strengthening their collaboration to ensure the effective implementation of The Gambia’s ATI Law.
The two sides made the commitment on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, when the MFWA hosted a four-member delegation from The Gambia’s Information Commission in Accra, Ghana. The delegation was led by Neneh Macdouall-Gaye, Chairperson of the Commission. She was accompanied by the Vice President, Bai Emil Touray, and Commissioners John Charles Njie and Babucarr Cham.
The MFWA team was led by the Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah. The others were Dora Boamah Mawutor, Director of Freedom of Expression and Digital Rights; Muheeb Saaed, Manager, Freedom of Expression; and Daniel Kwame Ampofo Adjei, Manager of Institutional Development, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning.
The Gambian team’s engagement with the MFWA formed part of its tour of relevant institutions in Ghana to understudy the implementation of the country’s RTI law. They expressed their gratitude to the MFWA for its support to Gambia’s civil society organisations during the advocacy for the passage of the ATI law.
They also sought continued partnership and support from the MFWA to ensure that the law is effective in promoting transparency and accountability in public administration as envisaged.
On behalf of the Board, Management, and the entire MFWA fraternity, Sulemana Braimah congratulated the Commissioners on their appointments and reaffirmed his organisation’s commitment to supporting The Gambia ATI Commission.
“The foundations you lay, as the pioneer Commissioners, will be critical in determining the success of The Gambia’s RTI implementation. You therefore have a solemn task of ensuring a dynamic take-off, so that future Commissioners can build on the robust foundation you would have laid,” Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of MFWA.
Before the passage of The Gambia’s ATI law, the MFWA, in collaboration with its national partner organization, the Gambia Press Union (GPU), actively engaged with the authorities and other stakeholders on democratic consolidation in The Gambia. As part of its efforts to strengthen the media to support the transition and democratic consolidation processes in post-Jammeh Gambia, the MFWA deployed a four-member media-assessment mission to the country to meet with various stakeholders including President Adama Barrow.
These efforts contributed to significant legal reforms, including the passage of the RTI law on July 1, 2021, that have greatly improved the country’s media landscape and freedom of expression environment. Under the 22-year autocracy of Yahyah Jammeh, press freedom violations were rampant, but these have substantially declined in recent years.
The MFWA has since continued to engage with Gambian officials charged with the implementation of the law. This is the second time the MFWA has been called upon to support the Gambia’s ATI implementation effort. From December 13-17, 2021, the organisation hosted a four-man team from the Gambia’s Information Services Department and facilitated its engagement with key actors in Ghana’s media and access to information space, including the Ministry of Information, the RTI Commission and the National Media Commission.
