Issues we address
It is your fundamental human right to ask for and receive, information held by public organisations and bodies.
You might have heard some of these terms: Access to Information (ATI); Freedom of Information (FOI); the Right to Know (R2K); or the Right to Information. Maybe you have heard about access to information laws or maybe you have even made a freedom of information request for public information.
All these terms point to the same idea – it is critically important to make sure information held by the public, and in some cases private, institutions are available and accessible to citizens.
Why is access to information important?
The right to seek, access and receive information is a fundamental human right guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Article 4 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa. It is also recognised in many of the Constitutions of southern African countries.
The right to access information is important because it helps citizens:
Fight corruption
You cannot question what you don’t know. Greater access to information increases the transparency of policymaking and governance.
Participate in democracy
More informed citizens are able to participate more effectively in their nation’s democratic processes.
Access other social and economic rights
As far back as 1946, the United Nations described access to information as the cornerstone of all freedoms because you need information to exercise other crucial rights such as the right to vote, the right to a clean and healthy environment and the right to make informed choices.
Access education and build their capacity
An informed population can better its situation by converting information into knowledge. To do this, citizens need information literacy skills so they can distinguish between information and disinformation; public and private information; and what is ethical and what is not.
Correct misinformation
When citizens can see what information the government holds about them, they can also seek correction of that information if they consider it wrong or misleading.
African Platform on Access to Information Campaign
The African Platform on Access to Information (APAI) Declaration clearly articulates a number of principles that speak to the central role that access to information play in furthering a number of rights including gender equality, health and education, which are all crucial to development.
As the secretariat to the continental APAI campaign, MISA promotes the importance of access to information to the post-2015 development agenda and, where possible, analyses how access to information, freedom of expression and media freedom can be integrated into the new global objectives.
Access to information news from our chapters
Namibia moves closer to access to information law
The Namibian National Assembly has passed an Access to Information bill almost two years after it was presented to the legislature. The bill will now progress to the National Council before it is sent to the president to sign it into law. The Access to Information...
MISA Zimbabwe, ZACRAS and MAZ communique on the Broadcasting Services Act (Amendment Bill) Writeshop
The much-awaited alignment with the Constitution of Zimbabwe of the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA), the principal legislation regulating the broadcasting sector since its enactment in 2001 has reached advanced stages following the tabling of proposed amendments...
World Press Freedom Day 2022 Statement by Commissioner Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Sonoo
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY 2022 STATEMENT BY COMMISSIONER OURVEENA GEEREESHA TOPSY-SONOO SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN AFRICA 02 MAY 2022 Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished participants; Allow me to introduce...
MISA’s indelible footprints during World Press Freedom Day commemorations
By Tabani Moyo The 2022 World Press Freedom Day commemorations are and will remain a critical milestone in the lifespan of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) as they took place when the organisation turned 30. This is by no means a mean feat! In the...
Worrying decline in media freedom in Southern Africa
Reporters Without Boundaries has released the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, which points to worrying signs for freedom of expression in Southern Africa, with a number of countries recording sharp declines. Botswana, long regarded as a bastion of democracy, saw a...