Towards a country-independent data format: the Akoma Ntoso experience Fabio Vitali ∗ , Flavio Zeni ◦ ∗ Department of Computer Science, University of Bologna, fabio@cs.unibo.it ◦ UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Nairobi, Kenya, zeni@un.org Abstract. AKOMA NTOSO (Architecture for Knowledge-Oriented Management of African Normative Texts using Open Standards and Ontologies ) is an operating framework and a set of guidelines for driving e-Parliament services in a Pan-African context by formalizing and harmonizing the storage, publication and exchange of Parliamentary documents using a precise, common and easy to understand data format based on XML. The AKOMA NTOSO XML document schema provides sophisticated description possibilities for Parliamentary document types (including legislative documents and parliamentary records), and supports document structures by systematically relying on international standards, best practices, guidelines and widely recognizable design patterns. Keywords: AKOMA NTOSO, Open Access, Pan-African Interoperability, Parlia- mentary records, XML 1. Introduction In 2004 and 2005, the UNITED NATIONS Department for Economics and Social Affairs (UN/DESA) project, “Strengthening Parliaments’ Information Systems in Africa”, has aimed at empowering legislatures to better fulfil their democratic functions, using ICTs to increase the qual- ity of parliamentary services, facilitate the work of parliamentarians and create new ways to promote the access of civil society to parliamentary processes. A strategic role in this project is played by the AKOMA NTOSO (Architecture for Knowledge-Oriented Management of African Norma- tive Texts using Open Standards and Ontologies) framework, a set of guidelines for e-Parliament services in a Pan-African context. The framework addresses information content and recommends technical policies and specifications for building and connecting Parliament in- formation systems across Africa. In particular, the AKOMA NTOSO framework proposes an XML docu- ment schema providing sophisticated description possibilities for several Parliamentary document types (including bills, acts and parliamentary records, etc.), therefore fostering easier implementation of Parliamen- tary Information systems and interoperability across African Parlia- ments, ultimately allowing open access to Parliamentary information.