Information and Professional Ethics in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Ugandan Experience

Abstract

Paper presented at the World Library and Information Congress: 69th IFLA General Conference and Council, 1–8 August 2003, Berlin. Reflecting on Uganda’s past, the paper explores the forces that shaped the professional and ethical path traversed by librarians and efforts to articulate a code of ethics in light of the current professional ‘re-awakening’. The paper addresses issues like: legal, political, and institutional frameworks, librarian training, networking and resource sharing, and technological changes in the workplace. Reference is made to the wider theme of freedom of expression and access to information in Uganda and the activities of professional groups in the media industry. Briefly discusses the situation with regard to codes of ethics elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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