About us

About us

CTFI’s (Centre for Transparency and Free Information) mission is the strengthening of institutions, government improvement, and citizens’ participation in and control on the government. Our organization strongly believes this can be achieved through increased efficiency of institutions, transparency, free and accurate information, fight against corruption. Further, CTFI aims to increase the capacity of society in general to better control power and to increase government accountability through civil society pressure, interest groups, media, etc.

CTFI was firstly established as “watch dog” in 2002 by a group of investigative reporters who had previously successfully implemented an investigative journalism project called “Media for Transparency.” Since then CTFI has specialized in the implementation of ‘watchdog’ type projects that monitor, advocate and inform. Members of the Center have been trained in Albania and other countries, including in the US, in particular in areas related to the Right of Information, the officials’ Code of Ethics, Advocacy, polls, etc.

Gradually, legal, financed and other experts were involved on the projects implemented by Center, thus increasing the organization’s capacity.

Thanks to a strong communications strategy, CTFI has succeeded in publicizing its projects, therefore multiplying their effects Organization leaders and members have solid expertise in media relations, and have held issue-focused conferences, press conferences, and appearances in various televised talk shows.

Often, leaders and key staff at CTFI have been called by international and national institutions to provide expert advice on issues related to government performance, transparency and anticorruption.

The organization has three departments: anticorruption and monitoring; information; good governance group. CTFI also has a finance and public relations department. CTFI has three full time staff members and some others part-time ones, depend of projects. Depending on the number of projects it can activate a big number of experts, while it has implemented parts of its projects through volunteers’ help.
CTFI does not have permanent branches in other cities in the country but we have contributors that we can ‘activate’ any moment. Previously, CTFI has working on a projects with the assistance of contributors in Bulqizë, Tropojë, Kukës, Fier, Elbasan and Librazhd, Gjirokaster, Sarande, Korca, Elbasan, Shkodra, Librazhd.

CTFI maintains excellent relations with contributors from around the country. They come from different areas of expertise, but a decent segment is made up of local reporters.

CTFI can activate human resources, experts, observers, justice and investigative issues reporters. Meanwhile, to facilitate work and related objectives, it can make use of its premises, its web page and social networks made up o CTFI members.

CTFI, thanks to media people as part of it, realizes a monthly PEST analyses for Albania.

 

Some of projects headed by CTFI in anticorruption and transparency field:

• 2003 May-December: “Media for Transparency”. The investigated articles on corruption in high administration published in Panorama daily newspaper. Financed by MSI-USAID
• 2004 July-September: “Watch Dog” on assets declarations of high administrators and politicians: Financed MSI-USAID
• 2005 May-July: Media Monitoring, Election July 3, 2005. Financed by NDI, British Embassy. CTFI, IDRA, NDI, ACAC.
• 2006 April-2007March: “Watch Dog” on assets declarations and conflict of interest of high administrators and politicians: Financed by British Embassy
• 2007 January-February: Debates on different TV channel “Your vote, your will”
• 2008 Mach-2008 May: Preparation and publication of anticorruption guide World Learning (USAID)-Center for Transparency and Free Information
• May 2008-December 2008: Using by journalists and public officers of the law “The right of information”, CDDI-CTFI;
• 2008 April-2009 June: “Watch Dog” on assets declarations and conflict of interest of high administrators and politicians: Financed by British Embassy
• January 2008-December 2008: country reporter for Anticorruption Index, issue by Global Integrity, Washington D.C, USA, Financed by Global Integrity
• January 2010-December 2010: country reporter for Anticorruption Index, issue by Global Integrity, Washington D.C, USA, Financed by Global Integrity
• January 2010- May 2010: “Safer Internet Day in Albania”. Financed by Canadian Embassy in Rome
• December 2010-may 2011: "Monitoring of anticorruption strategy in the terms of transparency in the health, environment and public works institutions". Financed by AMSHC 
• May 2010- December 2011: Monitoring of the implementing of the anticorruption strategy in the justice institutions.
• (-SWOT analyses on Judicial Control Inspectorate in High Council of Justice and Ministry of Justice, avoid overlapping;
• -Monitoring of  scoring system in promotion of judges)
• Financed by British Embassy
• May 2011-May 2012: Monitoring of the performance of anticorruption actions in the justice system services. Online complaints and digital administration of complaints in Ministry of Justice; Online complaints and improving of digital administration in High Council of Justice; Survey with judges, promotion and scoring system, anticorruption in Justice institutions.
• Financed by British Embassy
• 2010-2011: Building and expansion of the network of the EITI Coalition for Albania (SOROS, Albania)
• Eurasia Transparency Network:  7th Regional Meeting in Tirana, local expert, Albania 10-11 October 2011