TANZANIA SUMMARY IN NUMBERS Institution Request for information Total score 13 14 27 2. Bank of Tanzania (BOT) 16 0 16 3. Prevention and Combating Corruption Bureau (PCCB) 8 14 22 4. Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) 17 0 17 5. Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) 11 15 26 6. Tanzania Forest Services (TFS) Agency 8 6 14 7. Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) 13 0 13 8. Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority (TIRA): 11 12 23 RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS It is undeniable that poor governance, by defeating the objective of inclusion, retards economic growth and mostly hurts the poor. In a democracy, the principle of accountability holds that government officials — whether elected or appointed by those who have been elected — are accountable to the citizenry for their decisions and actions. The principle of transparency requires that the decisions and actions of those in government are open to public scrutiny and that the public has a right to access government information. Global trends reveal a growing commitment by states to embrace the ideals of transparent and democratic governance. This has been reflected in the increasing adoption of various instruments, policies and declarations by state parties aimed at strengthening transparency and openness, such as the Access to Information Act of 2016 in Tanzania. THE MOST SECRETIVE PUBLIC INSTITUTION IN TANZANIA Given the lack of information on its website and the fact that they did not do well in the information request category, the most secretive public institution in Tanzania in 2017 is the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC). THE MOST OPEN PUBLIC INSTITUTION IN TANZANIA Due not only to the scores but also considering how they acted during the process of conducting this study, the most open public institution in Tanzania in 2017 is the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). 98 Website 1. National Health Insurance Fund [NHIF] RECOMMENDATIONS For both the Access to Information Act and the laws which in one way or another impact the public’s ability to access information, to be progressively useful to this country, the study makes the following recommendations: • There is a need for an awareness of the Access to Information Act among public servants. It is in public offices where most information is generated. It is important that public servants know what the law entails in order for them to be able to fully enforce it. • There is a need for specialised trainings/seminars/workshops for public officials on freedom of information issues and the public’s right to access to publicly-held information vis-à-vis its importance to their country’s development. • There is an urgent need for information desks/offices/ resource centres at government offices, which would play a big role in information dissemination to the general public. • Monitoring and evaluation tools for access to information held by public offices and/or private firms that use public funds or perform public functions should be developed. • There is a need for public awareness of the Access to Information Act. This will encourage citizens to demand information that is necessary for their personal or their community’s development. • Encourage and promote the use of ICTs in public service; it is very discouraging, for example, when an email sent to the email address displayed on an institution’s website bounces back or will be completely ignored. For a country as large as Tanzania, physical follow-ups of every request are a luxury many cannot afford. • A move to modern filing systems is needed to encourage accountability in public servants. It is embarrassing to receive someone’s letter and it gets lost after a week. • Most importantly, the need for regulations for the Access to Information Act cannot be overemphasised.