Information Officials in Panama start virtual training on Open Government and Open Data

Panama, April 13, 2020 - The National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (ANTAI) in alliance with The Trust for the Americas, kickstarted a 10-week online course to train public officials on Open Government and Open Data principles.  
This online course will provide training in complementary areas of public administration that will improve with open government and open data methodologies.  Currently, 60 information officers, who hold the responsibility in the different sectors of government to make the information available and met with the nation's transparency requirements, are registered and receiving the training.   
  
This series of webinars are activities carried out within the framework of the "Public Innovation through Open Data" project funded by the US Mission in Panama, which includes promoting collaboration between civil society and the government.  
  
Juan Pablo Rodríguez, Director of Access to Information at ANTAI, emphasized that the role of citizens in these seminars "is a way to empower the use of their right to social audit and to ensure continuous collaboration between civil society, private sector, and governments under the concept of Open Government."  

By training public officials, the goal is to meet international open data standards and encourage local governments and civil society in Panama to create spaces for discussion, collaboration and accountability mechanism for citizens  

A total of 90 public information officers are expected to complete the course in the coming months.