Mr. Chernor Bah, the Minister of Information and Civic Education has praised the Right to Access Information Commission on its gains, describing the national access to nformation oversight body as one of the most-performing in the whole of Africa.
The Information Minister was speaking at the national validation of draft document for the review of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) Act at the 50/50 Group Hall, Tower Hill, Freetown on Wednesday 6th May 2026.
“Our Information Commission is one of the most-performing national oversight bodies on access to information in Africa,” he said.
Mr. Bah informed the gathering of a data protection policy which has been approved by Cabinet.
“The Data Protection Policy provides for the merging of both access to information and data protection into one single legal document which will see the current Commission charge to an Authority with stronger independence and powers to facilitate access to information and protect privacy and personal data”, he explained.
The Minister stated that such development is very crucial to empower journalists and other information seekers or requesters and also crucial in protecting the private data of people.
The Information and Civic Education Minister expressed hope that the Data Protection and Access to Information Bill, which will soon be taken to Parliament for enactment, will improve the already impressive global performance of Sierra Leone on access to information and also position the country better on protecting privacy and personal data.
The Minister spoke mainly on the need to review the current SLBC Act to have a much more independent, efficient and financially stable broadcaster. He however emphasized the importance of access to information in aiding the work of journalists and improving the country’s performance on global press freedom index.
Credit: Amara Thoronka, Public Information and Communications Officer
