FOI Commission Alarms Over Low Compliance -Commissioner Hodges Says Govt Institutions Unlikely Compliant

By H Matthew Turry

MONROVIA – The statutory body responsible for the implementation of the Freedom of Information (FOI) law, the Independent Information Commission (IIC), has yesterday, September 16, 2025, commemorated the 15th anniversary of Liberia’s landmark Freedom of Information (FOI) Law with a strong call for immediate government compliance.

Despite the progress made since the law’s passage, the Commission sounded the alarm over widespread non-compliance by government ministries and agencies, which have deprived of essential information and consequently eroded public trust in government.

Addressing a news conference, the Independent Information Commissioner Joash T Hodges said “When we took over in June 2024, we met a declaiming FOI regime affecting Liberia’s commitment to upholding the promise of openness in governance as the law espouses.

Stating, “This declining state was reflected in the IIC FOI audit of Ministries and Agencies conducted between October 2^nd —15^th of November 2024.

“The findings of our audit show that most Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions(MACs) of government failed to take the necessary actions required under the provisions of the FOI Act to ensure full compliance that guarantee public to government held information.

According to the IIC Commissioner Joash T Hodges, during the audit, 103 MAC were Assessed.

“Of this number, only 25 MACs had appointed their Public Information Officers with notice to the IIC, and of the 103 MACs assessed, 82 have Functional Websites, while 32 published the entities’ Act,” he said.

The IIC boss noted by saying, “Critical to this audit findings are that 78 MACs have not officially appointed Public Information Officers, and 103 MACs have no established Internal Information Request-Review Body.

“The lack of these very important feedback mechanisms that are pivotal in facilitating public access to information undermines the provision of information which effectively denies the public to government information,” he noted.

Commissioner Hodges told the gathering by saying, “Following assessment audit, on March 21, 2025, the IIC embarked on an intensive and aggressive Freedom of Information awareness, compliance and record management training to address these major gaps impeding the implementation of the FOI Laws of Liberia.

He disclosed that a total of 28 government intuitions subject to the FOI act have been covered during these trainings.

The institutions trained are Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP), Ministry of Mines & Energy (MIME), Civil Service Agency (CSA), Public Procurement & Concessions Commission (PPCC), National Investment Commission (NIC), Ministry of National Defense (MOD.

Others include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Bureau of State Enterprises ( BSE), National Housing Authority (NHA), Liberia Extractive Industry Transparency Initiatives (LEITI), Ministry of Public Works, National Aids Commission (NAC), Liberia Intellectual Property (LIPO) among others.

He said those trained from the government institutions consist of 384 senior officials and employees of the government, particularly, departmental and sectional heads of ministries, agencies, public corporations, bureaus, and security institutions.

Commissioner Hodges further that the IIC is currently working with the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) to hold additional training for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and other institutions.

He noted that the purposes of the training is to enhance and strengthen the capacity of personnel of public bodies to ensure the proper interpretation and application of the FOI ACT as well as promote compliance.

The IIC have also been involved in community awareness and stakeholder engagements.

Stating, “This is core to the Commission’s mandate of developing public awareness strategies and information dissemination campaigns to educate the public about their rights under the FOI Act as well as empowering the public on the use of the law.

In a related development, Commissioner Hodges announced that following this 15^th Anniversary of the passage of the FOI Act, the IIC will begin the celebration of the International Day of Universal Access to Information, (IDUAI) on September 29, 2025.

Each year countries that have enacted Freedom of Information Laws are obligated to observe the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) which happens on 28^th September,

He noted that the celebration of Information Day for Universal Access to Information underscores the fundamental role of access to information in empowering individuals, supporting informed decision-making, fostering innovation, and advancing inclusive and sustainable development.

He stated that the 2025 celebration will be held under the theme “Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age” and will focus on advancing access to environmental information as a pillar of transparency, accountability, and sustainable development, noting, “The IIC will commence celebratory activities on September 29, October 1, 2025 with campaign featuring several radio appearances and public engagements highlighting conditions for access to environmental information to be examined, including legal and digital frameworks, information integrity, and measures to address disinformation, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda and SDG 16.10.2.”

He added that Thursday, October 2, 2025, at 10:00 am, an official indoor program will be held in the ballroom of the Monrovia City Hall climaxing the celebration.

On September 16, 2010, the government of Liberia, signed the passage of the Freedom of Information Law, establishing the Independent Information Commission (IIC) as the statutory body responsible for its implementation.

The passage of the FOI Law by the government of Liberia with support from CSOs and Partners, affirmed Liberia’s commitments to upholding Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Chapter 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 15c of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia which states that: “In pursuance of this right, there shall be no limitation on the public right to be informed about the government and its functionaries.”

The passage of the FOI Law is a milestone accomplishment which demonstrates the government of Liberia commitment to participatory democracy, accountability and transparency through public access to information.