Access to legal and policy information for Malawi

In conjuction with Laws.Africa at the University of Cape Town (lead applicant), and the Gender Justice Unit in Malawi, Logos Open Culture submitted a concept note to the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) Country Based Support Scheme (CBSS) in Malawi 2020.

The note proposes the development of a right to know information and tool kit for Malawi to help access to justice especially for the underserved communities. This will involve establishing an in-depth database with information, accessed through an interactive, easy to use portal, enhanced for access through a range of devices and formats. The data on the portal will be converted to machine-readable format to facilitate its use in intelligent systems, including applying machine learning and AI techniques to reveal linkages between documents and concepts.

The overall objective is to enable the citizens of Malawi to access and use public legal and
policy information as part of their right to know, and in realization of their rights to hold the government to account and to participate in public decision-making.

The primary challenges Malawians face in accessing legal and policy information include:

• There are no effective and sustainable channels of access to public legal and policy information in
  Malawi, which affects the citizen’s right to understand their rights and obligations, and participate in
  policy and law formulation;
• Even if information is made available, CSOs, the media and activists, are often ill-equipped to
  derive maximum benefit from it;
  There are structural barriers to consuming public legal and policy information and free access
  coupled with new technologies can help improve access among poor and disadvantaged
  communities;
• Low to non-existent capacity of public bodies to provide information – unawareness of officials of
  obligation to provide information, little to non-existent capacity to record, manage, generate and
  communicate legal information;
• Lack of evidence on what engagement and communication strategies for public legal and policy
  information work in the context of Malawi.

 

The application was unsuccessful.

The three organisations are continuing to explore further channels of accessing funds.