Liberia: Media Foundation lauds president

  1. Posted on Thursday 7 October 2010 - 11:30
    madinjie
    Madi Njie, AfricaNews reporter in Serekunda, Gambia
    Liberia has become the first West African country to pass the Freedom of Information Act and has attracted applause from the Media Foundation for West Africa.
    liberian president
    The Media Foundation for West Africa correspondent in Liberia reported that Cyrus Wleh Badio, the presidential press secretary, who announced the signing on October 4 at a press conference, told journalists that the FOI Act has now been forwarded for printing.

    MFWA is happy that President Johnson Sirleaf has lived up to her promise of signing the FOI Bill into law. Even before its approval by both chambers of the Liberia legislature, the President had always expressed her preparedness to sign the Bill.

    The Freedom of Information Law was among three draft laws submitted to the House of Representatives on April 18th 2008, by the Liberia Media Law and Policy Reform Working Group. The other two draft laws are a public service Broadcaster Law and a law to establish an Independent Broadcast Regulator for Liberia.

    The Independent Broadcast Regulator law has since 2009 been passed by the House of Representatives and is presently before the Liberian Senate for endorsement, while the Public Service Broadcaster Act is still at the Committee level in the House of Representatives.

    A statement from MFWA commended the House and Senate for the hard work they put into these legislations.

    “We join the Press Union of Liberia in welcoming the signing of the law and describe it as a plus for development,” it added.

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