To commemorate the upcoming Universal Access to Information Day this September, fesmedia Africa, in collaboration with the African Freedom of Information Centre, the Centre for Law in Democracy and fraycollege have joined forces to create an online Right to Information course to empower members of civil society.

The course will be particularly useful for journalists in assisting them on how to request information from governments and other public bodies.

The course will consist of the following five modules:

• Module 1: Introduction to the Right to Information – What is the right to information, why is it important, trends globally and in Africa
• Module 2: The Legal Framework for the Right to Information – The principles behind a strong right to information regime, introduction to the RTI Rating and an assessment of their own laws
• Module 3: Making and Processing Requests – How to make a request for information, what to expect in terms of the processing of the request and how to follow up in case of problems
• Module 4: Interpreting Exceptions – An overview of international standards regarding exceptions, how these standards should be applied in practice and the challenges to assessing whether information is exempt
• Module 5: Appeals and Promotional Roles – A review of the different sorts of appeals that are normally open to requesters, along with some ideas for the roles that demand-side actors can play in ensuring stronger implementation of these laws

Enrolment for this course starts from 9 August and the course will commence on 16 August. The cost of the course will be covered by fesmedia Africa.

To register for the course click here and create an account. 

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