ZAMBIA

Research Conclusions
This research reveals the need for Zambia to enact legislation
to enhance the right of citizens to access public information.
According to the findings, 50% of public institutions were able to
respond to the questions, while seven of the eight institutions had
well-functioning websites containing very useful information. Even
though this seems to be encouraging, none of the four institutions
that provided the information responded in writing, and according
to the grading of this research, information was denied. The
desired levels of transparency and efficiency in government and
public institutions in providing information to the public are yet to
reach the desired levels although there is a great improvement in
the website quality and information.
A change of mindset amongst civil servants is another aspect that
this research established, 50% of the institutions responded to a
request for information via telephonic communication meaning the
culture of secrecy is slowly fading away. The officers were helpful
and friendly and provided contact information in cases where
clarification was necessary. This trend of government officials to
embrace a culture of openness should be further encouraged, but
freedom of information can only beguaranteedwith the enactment
of the ATI Bill.
Further the increased use of websites and other ICT tools such as
Facebook and Twitter by government institution shows efforts are
being made to provide information, however, this is not enough,
as less than half of the Zambian population has access to the
internet. Thus, the need for government institutions to respond in
writing is still required.

The Most Open Public
Institution in ZAMBIA
Four organizations verbally responded to requests for information
while none made an effort to respond in writing, neither by email
nor post, even though the contact details were provided in the
written requests.
Of the four institutions, three responded within less than seven
days. However, PACRA only responded after a follow-up call was
made. Based on the improvements of the quality of information
provided on the websites of these public institutions, the research
concludes that the Zambia Public Procurement Authority is the
Most Open Government Institutions in Zambia in2013, and the
Ministry of Agriculture is this year’s runner- up.

Recommendations
It is highly recommended that government officials continuously
prioritise the provision of information on request. Simultaneously,
the ATI Bill needs to be enacted, providing Civil Servants with
the confidence to provide information without fear. It was clear
from the research that most government institutions do not
expect a private citizen to request for information from them. This
researcher was asked this question by almost all the institutions
surveyed. Moreover there is a need for the right to information
to be expressly provided for in the Zambian Constitution, which
constitutes the supreme law of the country.

THE Most Secretive Public
Institution in ZAMIBIA
Of the eight surveyed institutions, four did not respond to a written
request for information. The ECZ despite having a very well updated
website, failed to provide a response even after follow-up calls were
made. Likewise, the ZRA did not respond to written requests for
information, but also had a very well updated website, including job
opportunities and budgets. While the CEEC did not respond to the
written request, its website was well updated, outlining its mandate,
funding opportunities and procurement procedures. The CEEC’s website
has also significantly improved compared to last year, being more userfriendly. The Lusaka City Council‘s (LCC) website underwent a facelift,
hence no information was accessible. The LCC did not send a response to
the written information request either.
Based on the above, the Lusaka City Council has been awarded the most
Secretive Public Institution in Zambia for the year 2013.

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