Access to Information Law Takes Effect

On 25 June, the commencement order was signed for the Access to Information Act by the Information and Media Minister, Cornelius Mweetwa.

The government committed to implementing the law before the end of June 2024, and the new law is the Statutory Instrument no. 35 of 2024.

The minister said that the full rules and guidelines of the act are still being finalised.

However, the Act sets out the legal conditions for providing rights to access information and its limitations, procedures for processing requests for information, and give effect to the right to access information as guaranteed in the UN Convention against Corruption and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.

The Chadiza member of parliament, Jonathan Daka, asked Mr. Mweetwa what practical infrastructure the government was procuring to facilitate the new law. The minister clarified that the Ministry of Information and Media has so far provided 10 cameras and public announcement systems for all the ten provinces.

He added that ZNBC had provided 20 transmitters to increase accessibility to transmission services in more rural parts of the country.