PHOTO: EU envoy Laurent Delahousse
By William Selmah, wselmah@gmail.com
The head of the EU Delegation to Liberia Laurent Delahousse has underscored the need for Liberia to implement the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act in in the country.
Enacted in September 2010, the FOI e act provides all persons the right of access to public information upon request.
He stressed the need for access to information at all times and said the media play a vital role in the enhancement of democracy in every society.
Ambassador Delahousse said implementing the law is as important as enacting it.
He was addressing the opening of a three day FOI Investigative Journalism Training program in Monrovia being carried out by Internews in collaboration with the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP) and Local Voices Media Network, with funding from the EU.
Speaking earlier, CEMESP Executive Director Malcolm W. Joseph said the project seeks to enhance freedom of information and expression and to strengthen media professionalism and quality delivery of information.
Twenty five Journalists working with print, electronic and online media outlets are participating in the training. They are expected to write five investigative stories each during the course of their fellowship using the FOI Act.
“As part of this project with the EU funding, CEMESP will conduct three regional public information roundtables on the FOI. We will coordinate with the Independent Information Commission (IIC) to organize the first of these three relationship building forums,” Mr. Joseph said.
The training, he said, will bring together mainly FOI Investigative Fellows, public information officers among others, to bridge bureaucratic bottlenecks in accessing information.
Facilitators on the first day of the Investigative Journalism Training included LACC Acting Executive Director Kanio Bai Gbala, Liberia’s Comptroller General Atty. Janga Kowo and IIC Commissioner Cllr. Mark Bedor Wla-Freeman.