Africa-Press – Liberia. Congo Town- The Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP) has taken another significant step toward strengthening transparency, accountability, and democratic governance with the successful hosting of a High-Level Stakeholder Dialogue on Access to Public Information in Liberia.
The dialogue, held at the D’Calabash Hotel, was organized by the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP) in collaboration with the Independent Information Commission (IIC), with support from the European Union and implementation by Internews.
The forum brought together senior government officials, members of the Independent Information Commission, civil society actors, media professionals, development partners, women and youth groups, and community leaders.
The engagement formed part of ongoing efforts under the Liberia Media Empowerment Project to promote freedom of expression, strengthen access to information, and enhance the media’s role in advancing good governance and democratic participation.
Speaking at the event, CEMESP Executive Director Malcolm Joseph underscored the importance of access to public information as a cornerstone of democracy. He noted that while Liberia’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Act of 2010 marked a historic milestone, challenges remain in implementation, including limited institutional compliance, weak coordination, and low public awareness of information rights and obligations.
Joseph emphasized that the high-level dialogue was designed not merely to identify challenges, but to generate practical, actionable solutions that would inform policy reforms, strengthen institutional collaboration, and improve compliance with the FOI Act.
He described the dialogue as a strategic platform to advance transparency, accountability, and open governance in Liberia.
The European Union
Ambassador to Liberia, Her Excellency Nona Deprez, reaffirmed the EU’s strong support for access to public information, describing it as central to transparency, public trust, and democratic participation.
She highlighted the alignment of the dialogue with recommendations from the EU Election Observation Mission. She announced continued EU support for media development initiatives, including public awareness programs, investigative journalism, and the development of a digital platform for submitting and tracking FOI requests.
The dialogue also featured remarks from the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), which stressed the critical link between access to information and professional journalism. PUL President Julius Kanubah emphasized that truth-telling journalism depends on verifiable facts, and that effective implementation of the FOI Act is essential for journalists to serve the public interest.
Participants engaged in discussions examining discrepancies between the FOI Act and other legal frameworks, including the LACC Act, Code of Conduct, and the CBL Act, to identify reforms to strengthen enforcement, oversight, and institutional coordination.
The high-level forum was built on previous LMEP stakeholder dialogues held in Monrovia, Buchanan, and Ganta, which collectively engaged more than 250 participants nationwide.
These engagements have contributed to increased awareness of access to information rights, promoted decentralized access to information in rural communities, and strengthened collaboration among government institutions, civil society, and the media.
Organizers described the dialogue as part of a sustained national process rather than a one-time event, noting that outcomes from the engagement will inform ongoing policy reviews, institutional reforms, and advocacy initiatives under the Liberia Media Empowerment Project.
As Liberia continues to consolidate its democratic gains, stakeholders at the dialogue reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the right to information and ensuring that access to public information serves as a catalyst for informed citizen participation, accountable governance, and public trust in state institutions.
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