ZAMBIA SUMMARY IN NUMBERS Institution Website Total score 1. Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) 10 2 12 2. National Housing Authority (NHA) 2 2 4 3. Ministry of Education (MoE) 10 2 12 4. Ministry of Finance(MoF) 9 2 11 5. Ministry of Local Government and Housing(MLGH) 6 2 8 6. Ministry of Tourism and Arts (MoTA) 8 4 12 7. Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) 10 12 22 8. Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) 12 2 14 RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS From this year’s study, it appears, most public institutions in the country still lack transparency and openness as they do not place sufficient public information into the public domain, despite having websites and social media pages. However, the effort some of these public institutions make cannot be overlooked. The majority of institutions have websites and social media pages, although these are not always updated or lack relevant information. This year’s study also brought to light an undesirable centralised authority in public institutions, especially with regards to availability and accessibility of public information. For instance, some public institutions acknowledged the receipt of the information request but were hesitant to give out information until they received authorisation from a higher office. THE MOST SECRETIVE PUBLIC INSTITUTION IN ZAMBIA The National Housing Authority (NHA) had the lowest score in this survey which makes them the most secretive public institution in Zambia in 2017. The NHA neither has a functional website nor any active social media pages. The researcher was told that the institution has no public relations officer. Housing is a basic human need and as the NHA is an authority for the regulation and development of housing for Zambians, this institution should open and receptive to public requests. Due to their lack of openness, the average Zambian is reluctant to approach the NHA for information as they deem the organisation to be accessible only by the wealthy. Considering that the institution’s website is under maintenance, it should have kept its social media pages active so that citizens can easily reach them and receive the necessary information they may need. The winner of the 2017 Golden Padlock Award is the National Housing Authority. THE MOST OPEN PUBLIC INSTITUTION IN ZAMBIA The Ministry of Transport and Communications was the most open institution during the study. Even though there is room for improvement regarding their website, their Facebook page is relatively active providing regular updates and engagement with their followers. This institution was helpful; they acknowledged the receipt of the request and called to ask the researcher to collect a written response to the information request submitted to their offices eight days earlier. The winner of the 2017 Golden Key Award is the Ministry of Transport and Communications. RECOMMENDATIONS • • • 112 Request for information Yet again, public institutions have not considered the importance of having public relations or information officers who are ready to receive and answer requests for information from the public. The institutions should train staff or employ qualified information and public relations officers to make information available. Otherwise, organisations should at least consider creating a communications and documentation department. Public institutions should train their staff or employ qualified officers to manage their online presence to guarantee effective, timely and relevant online communication. Organisations should invest more in their social media pages and engage more often with the public.