Malawians are still facing challenges to access information as most government institutions are yet to meet key requirements under Malawi’s Access to Information law.
This is according to a monitoring exercise conducted by the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) which found that only 29 of 58 government institutions had information officers.
The findings have been highlighted by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Malawi as the country commemorates the International Day for Universal Access to Information which falls on September 28.
In a statement,MISA said only 17 of the institutions monitored had copies of the Access to Information (ATI) Act and Regulations, while just five had information manuals.
The assessment also found that only six institutions had dedicated budgets for access to information, with 11 having websites that met minimum ATI requirements.
Meanwhile, only nine institutions had information guides, while seven had submitted the names of their information officers to the Ministry of Information. The same number had submitted annual reports.
MISA Malawi says the weak implementation of the law is limiting access to credible public information and creating an environment where misinformation and disinformation can thrive.
The organisation has called for government institutions to proactively disclose information and address barriers faced by people with disabilities and those who may struggle to access information because of language.
