Freedom of Information [No. of 2002 15 PART IV GENERAL OBLIGATION OF PUBLIC AUTHORITIES TO PUBLISH INFORMATION 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 20. (1) Subject to the other provisions of this Act, every public authority shall cause to be published, as soon as practicable after the commencement of this Act but not later than twelve months after that commencement, by Gazette notice and in a newspaper of general circulation in Zambia, a publication that includes — (a) a description of its structure, functions, and responsibilities including those of any of its statutory officers or advisory committees; (b) a general description of the categories of documents held by it; (c) a description of all manuals, and similar types of documents which contain policies, principles, rules, or guidelines in accordance with which decisions or recommendations are made in respect of any person or body of persons in that person’s or their personal capacity; and (d) a statement of any information that needs to be made available to members of the public who wish to obtain official information from the public authority which statement shall include particulars of the officer or officers to whom requests for official information or particular classes of information should be sent. (2) In complying with subsection (1) the public authority shall have regard, among other things, to the need to assist members of the public to obtain official information and to effectively exercise their rights under this Act. (3) Where there is good reason under section fourteen of this Act for withholding official information, nothing in this section requires the publication of that official information. (4) The Commission may, from time to time, give directions to public authorities regarding the form in which the information referred to in subsection (1) shall be published and prescribe model publication schemes in relation to public authorities falling within particular classes. (5) The failure of a public authority to publish information under subsection (1) shall not prejudicially affect the right of access to information under the control of a public authority as provided for in or under this Act. Public authorities to publish certain information N.A.B 14, 2002