Media and Civil Society in The Gambia Launch Freedom of Information Coalition

The Gambia, February 2018 – Media4Democracy joined the inaugural meeting of The Gambia’s Freedom of Information Coalition in Banjul on Tuesday, 6 February. This newly formed civil society, human rights and media stakeholder group is committed to supporting the adoption of access to information legislation, as a fundamental means of assuring government accountability and citizen empowerment.

M4D Team Leader Susan Angle and Media Analyst Ian Noble attended the meeting convened by the Gambia Press Union (GPU) and The Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (TANGO), supported by the United Nations Democracy Fund.

In opening statements, speakers from UNDP, ActionAid, GPU, TANGO and the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure stressed their commitment to a Freedom of Information Law as a central pillar for ensuring informed citizens can exercise their rights and fully engage in democratic governance and development. Several speakers also stressed that that such a law is not just for media and civil society organizations but must be known by and available to all citizens. As one of them put it: “freedom of information is everybody’s business”.