Pay or be denied: The impact of fees and charges on journalists’ perception of the effectiveness of Ghana’s Right to Information Law
Posted: 26 June, 2024 Filed under: Kwaku Krobea Asante | Tags: Access to Information, accountability, ATI, corruption, economic mismanagement, fundamental human rights, Ghana, Ghana’s Right to Information Commission, journalists, lack of accountability, military coups, Model Law of Access to Information for Africa, restriction to information access, right to access information, transparency Leave a comment
Author: Kwaku Krobea Asante
Senior Programme Officer, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)
Introduction
There has been a global upsurge in the demand for transparency, accountability and the establishment of norms in favour of democracy [1]. These norms include the passage of universal Access to Information (ATI) laws and the respect for the right to access information across the world[2].
In Africa, the adoption of the Model Law of Access to Information for Africa in 2013 was a response to emerging questions about widening inequality, widespread poverty, corruption and lack of accountability in public office. Indeed, the model law is consistent with other relevant laws including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter).
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso’s withdrawal from ECOWAS: The Revised ECOWAS Treaty and withdrawal with ‘immediate effect’
Posted: 5 March, 2024 Filed under: Marko Svicevic | Tags: Authority of Heads of State and Government, Burkina Faso, Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, ECOWAS Commission, ECOWAS withdrawal, immediate effect, Liptako-Gourma Charter, Mali, military coups, military interventions, military takeovers, Niger, regional peace, sanctions, security, Sovereignty, suspended, treaty law framework, withdrawal Leave a comment
Author: Marko Svicevic
Lecturer and Researcher, Centre for International Humanitarian and Operational Law, Faculty of Law, Palacky University, Olomouc
On 28 January 2024, the military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso simultaneously announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with ‘immediate effect’. Although the move is not all too surprising given rising tensions between the bloc and the three States, it is a historical and significant development in the region. All three States were suspended from ECOWAS following military takeovers; and they had faced varying degrees of sanctions in the last three years.
AfricLaw 