This publication is one of the outputs of the Freedom of Information and Women’s Rights in Africa Project, a regional programme launched by FEMNET in partnership with UNESCO.

“The advancement of African women has been affected by lack of access to vital information that relates to their rights,” states the resource book in its preface. Therefore the need for legislation that guarantees free access to relevant and timely information is crucial for African women’s empowerment.

The resource book represents a key contribution not only in light of the early stage of FOI development in the region, but particularly considering the very limited participation of women organizations in regards to it. Their low prioritization of the issue often stems from a lack of awareness about the essential link between FOI and women’s well-being. That is, beyond being a fundamental right in itself, FOI also crucially facilitates the exercise of other rights. As an interviewed advocate concisely stated, “the linkage between participation and the realisation of almost all other rights cannot happen without information”.