Biography

Fola Adeleke is the Open Democracy Advice Centre’s (ODAC) Research Coordinator. He coordinates research in the access to information and litigation units of ODAC. He has worked extensively assisting the advocacy community in various countries in Africa to review their access to information laws as part of ODAC’s regional work.  He holds a LLB and LLM degree from the University of Cape Town.

Statement of Interest

 ODAC is a specialist law centre working in the areas of access to information and whistleblowing. ODAC undertakes a number of initiatives which includes:

1. - Enhancing civil society access to public and private information through Access to Information laws.

2. - Promoting the fight against corruption by providing legal advice, support and case referral.

3. - Supporting effective implementation of laws by assisting public institutions to develop policies and procedures.

4. - Providing training to the public on using our access to information law

5. - Monitoring the implementation and use of the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

As a member of the steering committee of FOIANet, I on behalf of ODAC would bring to the table our experience as the leading campaigner on the implementation of freedom of information in South Africa over the last ten years and our efforts in providing support all over Africa not only to pass Freedom of Information legislation but also using the current legislative frameworks in some countries to advocate for a more transparent government.

I am particularly interested in becoming a member of the steering committee of the FOIAnet because it provides a unique platform for ODAC to tap into the immense international resources that this network supplies and to interact with an advocacy community that will help us in refining and improving our applied and comparative research in the area of freedom of information.