ZAMBIA Summary of key Findings Category 1: Website analysis All the institutions selected for this research had websites. Of the eight institutions evaluated, the Lusaka City Council (LCC) website was the only website that was under reconstruction – a message appeared on the site that it was undergoing ‘a facelift’. The other websites were fully functional and contained updated information. Most sites included a description of the institution’s powers, contacts, reports, programmes undertaken, information on procurement, and mechanisms to request and receive responses to electronic messages and requests. Generally, the government institutions in Zambia have embraced the use of websites as a tool for the dissemination of public information. Most of the sites visited contained relevant information in areas of the respective institution’s expertise. For instance, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) website contained all the latest election results, while the Ministry of Health provided information on recent programmes, possible disease outbreaks, as well as its latest campaigns. However, one negative finding is the fact that of the eight websites, only the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) site provided information on its 2013 budget. Category 2: Request for written and oral information Of the eight institutions written to, three responded verbally in less than seven days after receiving an information request. These were the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Services. What was impressive is that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Sizing Siakalenge, called early in the morning at 07:30 hours. A few days after the request was submitted. The researcher, who at that time was at the office, requested that he called back later, which he did. This was striking because the PS is the highest technocrat in any ministry in Zambia. However, this is not to take away from the Ministry of Health, who called on 30 May 2013 at 11:44hrs and provided all the information requested. Mr Yothum Chikuta Mbewe from the Ministry provided the information. The ZPPA provided the information through Mr Victor Mutande, who was very helpful and provided the researcher with his contact details in case she wished to contact him for further information. The researcher made follow-up calls to the five institutions that had not responded but only managed to obtain a verbal response from PACRA. Grace Mululu from PACRA provided all the information requested, even though she was sitting in for a colleague. For the other four institutions follow-ups were made but no response was received and no written reasons for the refusal of information were given, although the researcher provided both postal and email addresses for written responses. 98