The Protocol will establish regional legal standards for the Right to Information for the 15 countries in the Economic Community of West 
African States (ECOWAS). Once the Protocol is approved, ECOWAS will recommend that member states adopt legislation putting the standards into national law.
No comprehensive information law
To date, none of the countries have adopted comprehensive Right to Information laws. The new Protocol will also complement the existing ECOWAS Protocol on Good Governance and Democracy, which reiterates principles of democracy and rule of law.
As part of the celebrations of World Press Freedom Day, the initiative was launched on 3 May 2010 in Dakar, Senegal. ARTICLE 19 West Africa, the West African Journalists Association (WAJA), Synpics, the WAJA national member in Senegal, and the International Federation of Journalists Africa Office held a press briefing to sensitise the media and seek their support.
New protocol will empower citizens
“A regional Right to Information protocol will fundamentally encourage professionalism and honesty of public servants, and make public institutions and media equally accountable, efficient and proactive. It will also immensely empower West African citizens and create public ownership of state and sub-regional institutions,” say the initiative’s partners.
In the coming months, a series of regional consultations will be held
to develop a draft protocol that will then be submitted to the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government. ARTICLE 19 will provide technical assistance and support in the drafting process while WAJA will coordinate, convene and organise regional stakeholders meetings to review the draft and publicise the process.
Background
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen countries, founded in 1975. Its mission is to promote economic integration in “all fields of economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions, social and cultural matters.”
West African Journalists Association (WAJA) is a sub regional organization set up by journalists to defend and promote media freedoms, the safely and security of journalists in West Africa.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the world’s largest organisation of journalists. It promotes international action to defend press freedom and social justice through strong, free and independent trade unions of journalists.
Contacts
For more information please contact: Fatou Jagne Senghore, ARTICLE 19 Senegal /West Africa fatouj@article19.org or Ndey Tapha Sosseh, Coordinator WAJA-CBP, Bamako, Mali prcujao@orangemali.net or Sunny Ugoh ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, Nigeria sugoh@ecowas.int
