The Disclosure and Access to Information Policy (DAI) was the central theme at a regional sensitization and information workshop for North African countries held on the sidelines of the African Development Bank Annual Meetings which opened in Marrakech on May 27, 2013.
The assistant minister in charge of the civil service and modernization of public administration in Morocco, Abdelaâdim Guerrouj, who opened the workshop, underlined DAI's importance in meeting Africa's structural transformation challenge, which is an important factor for achieving inclusive growth.
The policy is of crucial importance of great importance to the Bank's work and thus needs a framework flexible enough to underpin its results.
In her statement, the Vice-President and Secretary General of the AfDB, Cecilia Akintomide, saidthe DAI Policy is relevant, not only for the effective mobilization of resources through a wider and less restrictive access to information concerning the AfDB and its operations, but also for the dissemination of development results. Its appropriation by stakeholders will no doubt contribute to the promotion and effective implementation of the 2013-2022 AfDB Strategy.
The workshop provided information to participants on the Bank's policies and initiatives with respect to information dissemination, transparency and open data. It was equally an opportunity for information and communication exchange as a means to enhance the institution's visibility with regard to its mission, strategies and activities in the North African region.
"The DAI Policy reflects a true change of paradigm ensuring that the results obtained at various levels (regional member countries, complexes, departments and divisions of the Bank) are closely aligned to the Bank Group's priority strategies," Vice-President and Secretary General Akintomide emphasized.
Participants at the seminar from Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, appreciated the importance of the policy in terms of reaffirming the Bank's commitment to the principles of good governance, transparency, accountability and information exchange in its operations.
The DAI Policy was approved by the AfDB Board of Directors on May 2, 2012 and entered into force on the February 3, 2013.
The workshop brought together representatives of government institutions, civil society from North Africa, the media, development partners, North African Regional Economic Communities, as well as delegates from other organizations and international institutions.
