The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), a regional non-governmental organisation based in Accra, Ghana, established to defend and promote the rights and freedoms of the media, has called on the governments of West African countries to ensure that people’s access to information does not just exist on paper but also in practice.
MFWA made the call in a statement issued on September 28, 2026, to commemorate the 2026 International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), which was hosted by West Africa in Sierra Leone.
The organisation stated that this year’s commemoration provides a critical opportunity for the sub-region to reflect on the theme: “Upholding Information Integrity in the Digital Age: The Role of Access to Information in Addressing Information Disorder,” which it said highlights the critical role of timely, accurate, and accessible public information in helping citizens navigate an increasingly complex digital information environment.
Citing Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), which protect the right to seek and receive information, the MFWA said this right remains difficult to exercise in West Africa given the shrinking civic space. The group pointed out that the implementation of the access to information law in Liberia, the first West African country to pass the law, is impeded by denials of access to information, with journalists complaining about a lack of compliance with the law. MFWA added that the story is not different in Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Ghana’s Right to Information regime, according to the group, is largely effective, but institutional red tape, including delays in releasing information, unjustified refusals, and excessive fees, still remains a challenge.
The MFWA said that access to information in the Sahelian countries continues to be a major hurdle for freedom of expression and citizens’ right to transparent and accountable governance.
These challenges notwithstanding, some newsrooms across the sub-region are producing impactful journalistic work, using access to information laws after the MFWA’s training programmes.
On the commemoration of IDUAI 2026, the MFWA said “that information integrity cannot be achieved by content moderation alone. It requires transparent institutions, timely access to authoritative information, and a media that is free and equipped to verify and report accurately.”
It therefore called on West African governments to enact comprehensive access to information laws wherever they are lacking, consistent with regional and international standards; enforce existing access to information laws, with clear deadlines, affordable procedures, narrowly defined exemptions, independent oversight, and effective remedies for non-compliance; and proactively publish public information, including budgets, contracts, procurement decisions, public expenditure, and other records of high public interest in accessible, searchable formats.
The group also asked the regional governments to resource information commissions and public institutions to manage requests effectively, and train public officials to treat disclosure as a duty of service; invest in digital storage systems that make information retrieval more efficient; protect journalists and the public who seek information in the public interest; support media and information literacy to help people assess and verify information; and, where journalists require clarifications on information, public officials should make themselves available and provide timely and accurate responses to prevent the spread of misinformation
The MFWA reaffirmed its commitment to defending press freedom, promoting information integrity, and advancing universal access to information as parts of the bedrock of democracy and development in West Africa.
