Rapporteur receives draft Guidelines in person

Members of the Alliance have formally presented Version 4 of the African Guidelines on Access to Data to Commissioner Ourveena Geereesha Topsy Sonoo. The handover was on the sidelines of the UNESCO International Conference on Digital Platform Governance, held on 12-13 February in Pretoria.

The commissioner, who is African Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, thanked the Alliance for extensive work over 15 months to develop the draft. She indicated that she will use the draft to produce her own version for presentation on 23 February at a regular meeting of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The Alliance’s draft was developed through extensive consultations around the continent, many of which with the Rapporteur leading the engagement.  The formation stands ready to offer further technical support if needed, now that the initiative enters a formal phase as the Commission holds its own consultation process.

Preceding the handover was a consultation organised by Alliance member Research ICT Africa  (RIA) with tech companies about their interests in the ongoing development of this instrument and unlocking both public and private data for public interest purposes in Africa.