By Yusufu S. Bangura
RAIC boss officially launching the report
The Chairperson and Information Commissioner of the Right to Access Information Commission (RAIC), Ibrahim Seaga Shaw, announced that 19,496 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests were recorded nationwide in 2023.
He made this disclosure on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, during the official launch of the fifth edition of the 2023 RAIC Annual Report at the commission’s headquarters on Kroo Town Road in Freetown.
“For the second consecutive year since the enactment of the Right to Access Information (RAI) Act in 2013 and the establishment of the RAIC in 2014, we have witnessed an unprecedented surge in FOI requests across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). Nationally, 19,496 FOI requests were recorded in 2023, with over 90% of them successfully processed. This marks a significant increase from the 13,117 requests recorded in 2022,” Shaw stated.
While launching the report, Shaw emphasized that the commission’s role is to facilitate access to information rather than to hold it, except for information related to the commission itself, as RAIC is also classified as a public authority.
“Our goal is to ensure a free flow of information from those who hold it to those requesting it. While it’s often expected that civil society members, the public, and NGOs are the primary requesters, access to information is a right for everyone in the country,” he explained.
Shaw noted that the 2023 Annual Report highlights both achievements and challenges, reaffirming RAIC’s commitment to promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance through information access in Sierra Leone.
Since the commission’s establishment in July 2014, RAIC has consistently upheld the right to seek, receive, and disseminate information in line with international human rights standards. Shaw acknowledged that despite financial constraints in 2023, the commission effectively utilized government allocations to continue its essential work.
“This year has demonstrated our team’s resilience and underscored the importance of robust planning to achieve our objectives,” he remarked.
Shaw also highlighted progress in enforcement and intervention procedures to ensure compliance among public authorities. The commission has strengthened the foundation for a comprehensive open data initiative and emphasized proactive disclosure of information. This proactive approach has been vital in promoting transparency and reducing the need for reactive information requests.
Support from the Government of Sierra Leone enabled RAIC to host a workshop on access to information during the monitoring of the June 2023 General Elections. Additionally, the commission organized workshops on the 2022 RAI regulations and records management across various regions.
Those initiatives have significantly improved records management standards and ensured the availability of accurate and timely information nationwide.
For the first time, RAIC’s Key Policy Actions (KPAs), including its national targets and indicators, were incorporated into Cluster Four of the Sierra Leone Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2019-2023.
Significant progress was also recorded in Proactive Disclosure of Information (PDI) compliance. In 2023, 32 MDAs submitted their PDI Publication Schemes, with 30 approved and two rejected. That adds to the 47 submissions from 2022, bringing the total to 79 MDAs that have submitted their PDI Publication Schemes since the scheme’s launch in December 2019.
The commission also launched a proactive disclosure campaign, urging MDAs to publish required information online and facilitating direct communication with designated contacts within each agency.
Sierra Leone achieved an impressive 89% in the CC Freedom of Information rankings for 2023, surpassing several neighboring countries. However, this represented a slight decline from the 98% scored in 2022.
“This accomplishment reflects our unwavering dedication to enhancing public access to information,” Shaw noted.
During the launching ceremony, the Executive Director of Campaign for Human Rights and Development International (CHRDI), Abdul Fatoma, and a representative from the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, Nancy Koroma, also delivered statements, reinforcing the importance of transparency and access to information in fostering good governance in Sierra Leone.
