Key figures in Senegal’s government have committed to passing an access to information law, according the Committee on Access to Information in Senegal.
Members of the Senate and National Assembly, and the minister of Communication, indicated their support following a June 8 seminar organized by ARTICLE 19 and the Forum Civil, in partnership with the Ministry of Communication and Panos Institute for West Africa ( PIWA).
“We are encouraged by the commitment of the Senegalese Minister of Communication and the parliament to support the adoption of an access to information law. The adoption of a progressive law will be a major milestone for Senegalese democracy,” said Fatou Jagne Senghore, ARTICLE 19 West Africa.
Article 19 said that the seminar “was part of a series of nationwide consultations aimed at sensitising stakeholders on the importance of access to information and its advantages for democratic governance in Senegal.”
It was attended by nearly a dozen parliamentarians, the Minister of Communication, the spokesperson of the Senegalese government, members of the Committee on Access to Information, representatives of international organizations and representatives of human rights and journalist’s organizations, according to Article 19’s announcement.
“The national assembly is committed to swiftly adopting an access to information law, which constitutes a great tool to promote and strengthen fundamental human rights,” said Doudou Wade, Majority Leader of the National Assembly and President of the Network of Parliamentarians against Corruption (APNA), Article 19 reported.
“We have advocated in 2001 for the inclusion in the Senegalese constitution of a provision on access to information by key public servants and elected officials. A comprehensive access to information law will complement the existing framework and will give real meaning to Article 8 of the Senegalese constitution,” said Mohamadou M’bodji, coordinator of the Forum Civil.
Filed under: What's New