News - Africa Freedom of Information Centre

Adapting to the post COVID-19 Outbreak

The Covid-19 Shock and Working from Home The outbreak of the Covid-19 was a shock to everyone. The scale of the problem and the fast pace of infections meant creative thinking on different fronts. For AFIC staff, ensuring the safety of staff was an immediate objective. We instituted measures to ensure office premises were safe. […]

AFIC meets the Minister of ICT & National Guidance, ahead of IDUAI 2020 commemoration

Ahead of preparations for the International Day of Universal Access to Information, Africa Freedom of Information Centre met the Uganda Minister of ICT &National Guidance, Hon. Judith Nabakooba and the Permanent Secretary. We discussed findings and recommendations of the Shadow Report to Parliament and explore avenues for partnership with the ministry as we plan to […]

AFIC welcomes Uganda’s admission as an EITI implementing country

The EITI Board has approved Uganda’s application to join the EITI as of 12th August 2020. This makes Uganda the EITI’s 54th member country and the 26th in Africa. Uganda’s candidature application was received by the EITI Secretariat on 13 July 2020. Uganda’s candidature application form, together with supporting documentation, was approved by the MSG […]

1 Comment

Uganda takes lead in public procurement data disclosure, analysis and use

“We are committed to ensuring that we improve on the level of disclosure and will need AFIC services on training our procurement staff on how to disclose information on the GPP,” said Ms. Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health in Uganda. She made these comments while meeting with the team from […]

Stakeholders equipped with Open Contracting Data Standards skills to enhance effective monitoring of Ghana’s procurement process

Capacity Development helps to strengthen institutions to perform better and manage the change. It is important to consider not only the Public Procurement Authority staff in the implementation of this project but also every other stakeholder involved in the entire procurement process particularly at the demand and supply side: public servants, private sector, and citizens […]

Ghana introduces OCDS compliant e-GP platform to digitize public procurement in the country

According to Ghana’s Public Procurement Authority (PPA), public procurement accounts for about 29% of imports into the country. Ghana has a fairly robust legislative framework for public procurement. However, lack of enforcement of procurement laws and regulations has led to myriad procurement-related corruption, costing the nation millions of Ghana cedis. The country has a very […]

Public Contracting in Kenya – Is there political will to realize the promise of Open Contracting in Kenya?

In recent years, the issue of public procurement is one that has captured national attention and one that has consequently necessitated the attention of the highest office in the land as envisaged by the various public pronouncements made with regard to public procurement in Kenya. These public pronouncements were made ostensibly to assure citizens of […]

Citizens’ monitoring of public contracting leads to improved service delivery in Malawi

Malawi like any other African country grapples with the challenge of corruption having slipped from 120 to 123 on the global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The country is still reeling from the crisis triggered by the infamous 2013 corruption scandal dubbed ‘cashgate’ in which up to US$250 million of taxpayers’ money was lost through fraudulent […]

The Open Contracting Multi Sectoral Group (OC-MSG) enables CSOs in Malawi to speak with one voice

“The journey for advancing Open Contracting in Malawi can only be successful if we all come together to speak with one voice,” indicated Michael Kaiyatsa, the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR)’s Ag. Executive Director at the end of the first multi-stakeholder meeting for Open Contracting Stakeholders that was held at Sogecoa Golden Peacock, […]

Nigeria embraces adoption of the Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS)

The Federal Government of Nigeria publicly committed to full implementation and adoption of the Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS) at the 2016 London Anti-corruption Summit. Since then, the Industry Regulator- Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has consistently worked with stakeholders to drive the process of its implementation by setting up a multi-stakeholder forum – the […]

Freedom of Information Ranking improves disclosure practices of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TET Fund)

In recent years, Nigeria has prioritized human capital development and one way to improve the human capital index is through adequate infrastructural provisions, social welfare, and alike. The Nigerian government has supported this effort through an increase in the education budget in addition to donor support to tertiary and basic education sectors in Nigeria. Among […]

Where is the value for money in public procurement?

AFIC produces an in-depth Analytical Report on the Status of Uganda’s Public Procurement Disclosure. Public procurement expenditure in Uganda accounts for 60% of the national budget according to the Public Procurement and Disposal Authority (PPDA). This expenditure that takes such a huge percentage of the budget should indeed translate into effective service delivery for the […]

AFIC supports and builds Civil Society and governments’ capacity to adopt Open Contracting in Africa

Enhancing public procurement through open contracting requires investment in key stakeholders and ensuring that their capacity is well built to support all the procurement processes. The capacity of public officials should be built to enhance their ability to disclose public procurement information and also respond to the feedback provided by citizens. The citizens’ capacity too, […]

“Openness in public contracting has always been one of the goals of the PPDA as a regulator of public procurement in Uganda.”

Edwin Muhumuza- Director of Corporate Affairs, PPDA Speaks about Open Contracting in Uganda For the last 4 years, Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) has been partnering with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) in promoting efficient public procurement in Uganda. We had a conversation with Mr. Edwin Muhumuza, the Director of […]

AFIC Releases Contracts Monitoring Report for Selected Districts for FY 2018/19

On Friday, 24th July 2020, the Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) released the report on contract monitoring processes for selected district local government for Financial Year (FY) 2018/19, during a high-level dialogue on public contracting in Uganda. The report analyses implementation of public procurement at the local government level through an in-depth contract monitoring […]

The Gambia embarks on journey to adopt ATI law

The Gambia Press Union awaits adoption of the Access To Information draft bill 2019, recently tabled for consideration at the National Assembly. This statement was originally published on africafex.org on 29 June 2020. Access to Information is one of the pillars of a strong democratic government. The legal right to request information from the government can lead […]

Upcoming: AFIC receives support from NED

With support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) in collaboration with its partners are implementing a project aimed at promoting Transparency and Accountability in electoral processes in Africa…

More districts embrace open contracting in Uganda; registered on the Government Procurement Portal

On 03rd July 2020, the Local Governments of Lamwo, Serere, Kotido, and Yumbe registered for the first time on the Government Procurement Portal. The Procurement officers received training on how to upload procurement information on the GPP that was organized by AFIC in collaboration with the Performance Monitoring Directorate of PPDA. The training was as […]

AFIC makes recommendations to the Namibia Access to Information Bill

At the request of Namibia Media Trust (NMT), Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) provided comments and recommendations on Namibia’s Draft Access to Information Bill based on the draft Model Law on Access to Information for African Union Member States (the “AU Model Law”) and other AU member states legal frameworks on ATI as well […]

Freedom of Information Bill passed into law in Zimbabwe

02 Jul 2020 The signing into law of the Freedom of Information Act as part of the processes of repealing the draconian and widely discredited Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) is a significant milestone in Zimbabwe’s law reforms agenda that should set the pace for the repeal of other laws that […]

Uganda policy makers urged to promote Digital Rights amidst COVID-19

A Policy Brief released by Africa Freedom of Information Centre on ‘‘Advancing Digital Rights amidst COVID-19 in Uganda”, indicated that as the number of COVID-19 conﬁrmed cases continue to soar, the government has been deliberate in embracing technology, including encouraging mobile money transactions, online engagements, especially for conferences and COVID-19 related behavior change communication campaigns. […]

Leading Civil Society Organizations call for timely Access to Information during Uganda’s 2021 general elections

Kampala, Uganda Leading Civil Society Organisations have implored the Uganda Electoral Commission to ensure citizens access to timely information on all electoral processes for the country’s presidential and general elections slated for February 2021. The call was made by the Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC), Human Rights Network for Journalists (HRNJ), Transparency International-Uganda (TI-U), […]

Citizens’ Access to Information: A tool to build trust and address corruption

People need the information to make decisions on personal development, education of their children or health of mothers. They need information in order to influence policies and decisions of government on where more efforts are needed and when. Citizens need the information to limit the consequences of climate change and to provide feedback on how […]

Monitoring COVID-19 response.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda, like many countries around the world, has put in place a number of measures to respond to the prevention and control of the outbreak since it registered its first case on 21 March 2020. The response measures include awareness campaigns about the diseases as well as strict […]

Access to information is not a choice but crucial for an effective response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The need for accessing public information during crisis exists at every step, regardless of the severity it may have on the people. Governments often have vital information that members of the public need to make crucial decisions concerning their lives. Such information must, therefore, be disseminated promptly and as completely and accurately as possible. It’s […]

Information Request leads to recovery of heifers from leaders

In 2018, Nebbi district local government procured 331 Zeb heifers under Peace Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP) cattle restocking program. In one of the council meetings, district councilors made a malicious resolution for each councilor to receive a heifer under the pretext of creating a model that compares the survival rates of animals distributed to […]

Government Procurement Portal strengthened, disclosure and use of Procurement Data improved

AFIC supported PPDA the successfully redesigned the Government Procurement Portal (GPP) and aligned it to Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS); making Uganda the first African country to reach this fit. The website which went live in March 2019 was redesigned to accommodate the increased numbers of entities that must disclose public procurement information that is […]

Community Monitoring Influences Local Government Action

Since the year 2018, AFIC has been training civil society organizations and community monitors on public contracts’ monitoring. Before AFIC’s interventions, the phenomenon of contracts’ monitoring was unheard of and no citizen could relate to contract information. Through continuous coaching and mentoring, citizens have been equipped with the capacity to request and use contract information […]

Citizens’ Access to Information Training helps District Officials deliver their mandate

“If it wasn’t for AFIC, I wouldn’t be here as an Information Officer. The skills and knowledge of ATI and Open Contracting that I acquired through AFIC training while I was still in active journalism helps me every day in executing my duties. Through those skills, I can write stories on contract monitoring and other […]

Disclosure of Procurement Information on Notice Boards and Agency Websites Improves.

Access to information is one of the keys to democracy. When people seek and receive public documents, they can use them as critical tools for fighting corruption. Citizens equipped with information can exercise their fundamental human rights by participating in the demand for accountability and hence making governments more efficient. As part of the process […]

Nigeria;Kaduna State now a model in Open Contracting

Kaduna, is the 18th state of Federal republic of Nigeria located in the north, its capital is Kaduna, usually the state is referred to as Kaduna State to distinguish it from the state capital, the state is in Northwest Nigeria. Its capital is Kaduna. it is ranked 4th by land area and 3rd by population in Nigeria. ”Kaduna state is now a model in Open […]

Addressing human rights concerns during COVID-19 response in vulnerable populations.

International human rights law guarantees everyone the right to the highest attainable standard of health and obligates governments to take steps to prevent threats to public health and to provide medical care to those who need it. The Siracusa Principles, adopted by the UN Economic and Social Council in 1984, and UN Human Rights Committee general […]

Continuing education through alternative learning pathways amidst COVID-19

Education, Armed conflicts, forced displacement, climate change-induced disasters and protracted crises have disrupted the education of 75 million children and youth globally. And that number is growing in an unprecedented way with the spread of COVID-19. Education has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic with 1.53 billion learners out of school and 184 country-wide […]

Public Access to Information is the difference between life and death: central to combat COVID-19

The outbreak of coronavirus and the disease causes created anxiety, fear, and confusion. These are not misplaced. Hundreds of thousands have been infected while tens of thousands have lost their lives. Jobs have been lost, economies are breading and health infrastructure is overstretched. Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) covid-19 tracker shows that as of […]

AFIC shares real time updates on COVID-19 through data visualization

AFIC has developed an interactive COVID19 tracker to promote access to information on this pandemic. The tracker provides real-time updates on the number of confirmed cases, fatalities and recoveries of COVID19. It also provides a predictive model for the projected number of cases over the next 10 days or so, based on currently disclosed data. […]

AFIC receives new grant from the Democratic Governance Facility

On this day, the 18th of March, 2020, Africa Freedom of Information Centre has received yet more support and entered into an agreement with the Democratic Governance Facility to implement a two-year project titled, ”Enhancing Value for Money in Social Services through Open Contracting and Citizens’ Access to Information. This happened at the DGF offices […]

Citizens’ Access to Information: A tool to build trust and address corruption

The Executive Director, HIM, shares their ATI journey in Uganda

Africa Freedom of Information Centre and the Hub for Investigative Media conducted an assessment on the status of implementation of the Access to Information Act 2005 in Uganda. A shadow report was presented to the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda. This report examines current progress in implementation of Uganda’s Access […]

Ministry of ICT & National Guidance pledges to promote internet rights and freedoms in Uganda

Across the world, violations of internet rights and freedoms have been common ranging from internet shutdowns, disruptions and surveillance among others. The right to Internet access, also known as the right to broadband or freedom to connect, is the view that all people must be able to access the Internet in order to exercise and enjoy their rights to […]

Increasing awareness on adoption of Open Contracting Data Standards in Ghana

Procurement breaches are estimated to make up almost 90% of corruption cases, and therefore adoption of e-procurement (reputed to reduce corruption by preventing human interface) could save countries up to 2% of GDP. To this end, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has been increasing awareness on effective implementation of the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) […]

Kanungu: CSOs, Community Monitors and the Media agree to work together

Africa Freedom of Information Centre, with support from the Democratic Governance Facility, brought together members of civil society, community monitors and the media to talk about sustainable ways of increasing citizen participation in monitoring public contracts for better service delivery. AFIC has been training local citizens on the importance of open contracting and how they […]

Open Contracting for universal healthcare; Which way Uganda?

The health sector is one of the key sectors in Uganda and is one of the most funded sectors after Works and Transport, Education and Energy. Over the last three financial years, the budgetary allocation for the health sector has steadily increased. In financial year 2018-2019, the budget for Uganda increased by 26 % from […]

What importance does the Right to Information hold for Women?

Often in our societies it is the most vulnerable and marginalized populations who suffer the greatest due to limited access to information. This is particularly true for women. In many countries, one-half of the population may be limited in their full enjoyment of the right to information and the myriad benefits that it provides. Women […]

Conducting an End of Term Evaluation project evaluation TORs

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONDUCTING AN END OF TERM EVALUATION FOR THE PROJECT IMPROVING SOCIAL SERVICE DELIVERY TO CITIZENS THROUGH OPEN CONTRACTING IN UGANDA 1.0: Introduction 1.1: About AFIC Africa Freedom of Information Centre is a pan-African membership civil society organization registered in 2007 in Nigeria and established in 2009 in Uganda. It […]

FOI Rankings: How PPDC is improving transparency in Nigeria

We need access to information. No one can make informed decisions on issues that affect them without access to information Through ATI, press freedom and freedom of association can grow. Governments can be held accountable, and corruption can be exposed. When the United Nations was established, all countries acknowledged the fundamental value of free information. […]

Call to adopt mining values and principles in East Africa.

East African Community countries have been challenged to fully adopt African Mining Vision (AMV) principles and values that outline transparent, equitable and optimal exploitation of mineral resources in the region. The AMV, which was formally adopted by African heads of state in 2009, has not achieved its target as member countries are struggling with illicit […]

Road to 2030: Access to Information in the driver’s seat.

Together with GFMD, Deutsche Welle Akademie, Centre for Law and Democracy and Africa Free Press Unlimited we released the report “Road to 2030: Access To Information in the driver’s seat” about the state of public Access To Information (ATI) in 10 countries worldwide. The report analyses and compares data related to ATI policies from Canada, […]

Where does pressure for public procurement transparency come from? Reflections from Uganda and Tanzania

For years, the benefits of transparency as a policy tool to increase accountability and counter corruption have been lauded. In public procurement, this has given rise to a global movement promoting procurement data transparency, a.k.a. open contracting. Many governments have committed to making public procurement data more transparent and open for public scrutiny. But what […]

Corruption: How Kenya is fighting back through Open Contracting

In December 2019, the Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) invited Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) to share its experience of working with PPDA to promote Open Contracting at a workshop in Nairobi. OCP conducted the workshop in collaboration with the PPRA and Hivos East Africa. The Ksh22 million bathroom towels On my way to the Intercontinental Hotel, where […]

AFIC advocates for Open Contracting in Uganda

Since 2011, AFIC has collaborated with PPDA in promoting value for money in public contracting through citizens’ access to information and public participation (open contracting). Through this partnership, the Uganda Contracts Monitoring Coalition (UCMC) was established, its members trained on basic procurement laws, tools for citizen monitoring of contracts developed and proposals made for policy […]

Young people decry social media tax in Uganda

In a public notice OTT Tax dated June 29, 2018, Uganda Revenue Authority informed Ugandans that following directives from the government a new tax would be imposed on OTT services involving applications that offer voice and messaging over the internet. This took effect on July 1, 2018, as a new financial year started. The government […]

Promoting transparency and citizen participation through Open Data

Data can be defined as a series of observations, measurements or facts. When data is put in context, it becomes information. Open data, also known as linked data is data that is openly published online and is free for anyone to use, modify and share. In order for the data to be considered “Open,” it […]

Kabale Central Market conflict highlights the need for Open Contracting

Following a one year stalemate due to disputes between the owners of the kiosks and Kabale Municipal Council, the reconstruction of the Kabale Central Market began finally kicked off in December 2019. Chongqing International Construction[CICCO], a Chinese firm, has been contracted to rebuild the market at UGX 23 billion. The contract was signed on October […]

AFIC presents the Shadow Report on the Status of Implementation of the Access to Information Act 2005 in Uganda.

AFIC presents The Shadow Report on the Status of Implementation of the Access to Information Act 2005 in Uganda Today the 12th of December, 2019, Africa Freedom of Information Centre and Hub for Investigative Media presented a Shadow Report on the implementation of the Access to Information Act (ATIA) to Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker […]

AFIC participate in the 6th Global Partnership for Social Accountability Forum

Every year the World Bank’s Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA) brings together over 300 partners from government, civil society and development cooperations to join together and find solutions to development challenges and learn from one another. 2019 was not any different, the forum was organized to focus on the role of social accountability in […]

People with Disabilities demand accessibility to the newly constructed classroom blocks in Kisenge Primary School.

Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) trained Mr Okumu Fabian on Access to Information, Open Contracting and contracts monitoring in November 2018 together with other selected community monitors in Nebbi district. Equipped with the knowledge about community monitoring, Mr Okumu and other monitors started monitoring the construction of Kisenge primary school which was aided by […]

AFIC advocates for healthy lives and well-being for all at all ages through access to information

Citizens’ access to information plays a vital role in promoting the realization of their right to health. It facilitates freedom of choice and quality of public education. It enables citizens to be aware of the medicine, treatment, and services available to them in the health sector. Access to information allows them to know what to […]

The Chief Executive Officer, PPDC, shares their Open Contracting journey in Nigeria

As part of its National Action Plan 2017-2019, Nigeria is currently implementing 14 commitments. Public and Private Development Center (PPDC) is the leading civil society organization championing Open Contracting work and monitoring the progress of Nigeria’s National Action Plan implementation. Ms Nkem Ilo is also chairperson of AFIC’s Open Contracting Working Group. AFIC Newsletter team […]

Africa Freedom of Information Centre and Hivos host the Africa Local Open Contracting Initiative Regional Workshop

Africa Freedom of Information Centre, in partnership with Hivos East Africa, held the Africa Local Open Contracting Initiative (LOCI) Regional Workshop in Arusha, Tanzania on the 26th of November 2019. The Local Open Contracting initiatives (LOCI) is a global linking and learning mechanism for sub-national, local, and city-level Open Contracting (OC) initiatives and reforms that […]

The East African Public Procurement Authorities resolve to fast-track Open Contracting

The public procurement oversight agencies for Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania have resolved to fast-track open contracting by proactively publishing data in Open Contracting Data Standards formats and promote monitoring of contracts by none state actors. They also resolved to promote participation in the participation of special interest groups like women, youth and people […]

Get In Touch

Blog

Join Us By Becoming A Member

Quick Links

Contact Info

Subscribe