Right to Know, R2K, Initiative has commended the Rivers State government for initiating the first ever Open Government Summit in Nigeria, which took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State early in the month.

R2K described the launch as a commitment of the Rivers State Government to adopting and issuing an Open Government Policy Document before the end of 2010.

In particular, R2K welcomed the acknowledgement by Governor Rotimi Amechi of Rivers State that open government “is the key factor that will turn Rivers State around.” We make bold to say that this is also true for Nigeria as a whole.
Organised under the theme “Public Communication a Tool for Good Governance: A Case for Open Government” the Rivers State Open Government Summit was the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa and opens new frontiers in the advocacy for protection of the right of access to official information in Nigeria.

Rising from the Summit, the government of Rivers State committed itself to issuing an Open Government Policy before the end of 2010. It also indicated willingness to retrain its personnel into an era of open government and to adopt a state-wide freedom of information law.