MOZAMBIQUE MOZAMBIQUE English Summary INTRODUCTION Mozambique approved a new Constitution in 2004, which provides for the right to information in Article 48. Though such a right was already provided for in the 1990 Constitution, the promulgation of the new base law inspired MISA Mozambique to submit a draft to Parliament proposing a law on the right to information. This proposal lay untouched for 9 years and only after much lobbying by civil society did the National Assembly initiate a process of public hearings on the matter. Under pressure from civil society, a bill was eventually tabled and a law was finally promulgated on December 31, 2014. The law remained unimplemented for a year until the regulations were approved on December 31, 2015. So in effect, the current study has been conducted eight months since legislation made it possible for the public to consult information held by public institutions. At the same time, the researchers assert that the weight of the legacy of the oneparty era, though it made way for a multi-party system 24 years ago, is still felt in the culture of secrecy, fear and centralism, predominant features of that era. Since the introduction of the legislation, it does not yet seem to have changed the environment of access to information in Mozambique. The perception among civil society organisations, journalists and research institutions is that the law is not yet fully implemented, which makes it difficult to exercise the right of access to information. Apart from the state’s inability to respond promptly with human and financial resources, there are a number of obstacles to full implementation of the law. These include: information officers in each institution holding public information that are meant to handle requests for information; the poor state of archives at these institutions; the lack of political will to implement the law; the culture secrecy, fear and centralism, among other factors. In 2016, the Danish NGO IBIS signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government, through the Ministry of State Administration and Civil Service (MAEFP) for a three-year programme of capacity-building for civil servants and other government agents in matters related to the right of access to information and the use of information and communication technologies in the provision of access to information. So far, not much is available in terms of data on openness or lack thereof at institutions holding information of public interest. One study conducted earlier this year by two Mozambican NGOs querying 49 entities, unfortunately does not provide detailed information to enable the extraction of data. It is interesting to note that Mozambican legislation on access to information applies also to private entities which, in terms of legislation or a contract, perform activities of public interest and/or benefit from public resources and which hold information of public interest. SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS On conclusion of the survey, it would appear that Mozambique still has a long way to go. This is in part seen as a legacy of 24 years of one-party rule. For the purposes of this study, the institutions were evaluated on: • The degree of difficulty in exercising the right to access information; • The time taken to respond to queries; and • The type of information available on the website as well as how updated it is. Category 1: Website Analysis With one exception (Missão Moçambique), the institutions that were part of the study are present online; however, although some are autonomous bodies (Fundo de Promoção Desportiva), they do not have their own websites, but rather a section or page on the site of the ministry under which they fall. The researchers deem it noteworthy that the sites of key public institutions, for example the Ministry of Transport and Communications,