Story by Hannah Dadzie
Stakeholders in the implementation of the Right to Information (RTI), Law have called for inclusive and understanding of the law for transparency and accountability. They say the RTI law, which gives opportunity to test genuine institutions in the country, has been trivialized, as many think it is a law for the media.
They say any refusal for institutions to provide information is a worry for the country. This came to light when STAR-Ghana Foundation (SGF), in partnership with Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) and Ghana Friends (GV) convened a forum with civil society organisations and other stakeholders on the implementation of the Right to Information Law in Ghana since its passage.
Despite the passage of the Right to Information Law in Ghana, administrative and bureaucratic bottlenecks coupled with the imposition of fees by public institutions and a seeming lack of awareness among the citizenry of the law and their rights to demand information are among a host of challenges impeding access to public information and the effective implementation of the law.
The forum was to strengthen civil society awareness of the implementation of the RTI Law, reflect on the challenges associated with it, and support their mobilisation to influence its effective implementation to promote access to public information for public use in holding public officials to account.
Executive Secretary of Star Ghana Foundation, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko-Amidu, said there cannot be active citizenship without access to information, saying that the RTI law is critical for democratic governance.
“We want to look at the implementation of the law from the state and CSOS side, without the RTI law we cannot hold government accountable, without it there is no way that we can monitor and know that we are making progress as a country, therefore the law is very fundamental for our progress as a country,” Alhaji Tanko-Amidu indicated.
The Executive Secretary of the RTI Commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng said the Commission is now positioned to work nationwide as it now has 120 staff and 8 lawyers. He added that they have secured a fiat from the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice to prosecute offender of the law. He, therefore, called for support from stakeholders to cause change and promote accountability. The RTI Commission commended the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), for its enormous support in the implementation of the RTI Bill.
“Going forward the Commission seeks to collaborate with all CSOs who have an interest in efforts to make public work transparent and make public officers accountable. The task assigned to the Commission is enormous but it is committed to delivering on its mandate with enough support and resources,” Mr Sarpong Boateng said.
The forum featured the presentation of a discussion paper on “Assessing Access to Information in the Context of the RTI Law Implementation” by Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey, a PhD Graduate. The Paper assessed the prevailing status of the RTI law, including the incentives, relationships and contestation of power between public institutions that hold public information and citizens, civil society groups and the media. It also interrogates the relevance of the law, loopholes, potential for growth and underscores the importance of civil society organizations in the process. The presentation was an input for the development of strategies to galvanize support and advocacy toward the implementation of the RTI Law.
There was a panel discussion with the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah; Executive Secretary to the RTI Commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng Esq; Programmes Manager of Commonwealth Human Rights and RTI Coalition Secretariat, Esther Poku-Aduhene.
The Director of MFWA, Sulemana Braimah, commended the RTI commission for the work done so far to help hold public officials accountable. He said people must be empowered to help promote change.
The forum generated actionable recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the RTI law for informed civic engagements with the state. These include translating the RTI Bill to other indigenous languages, braille for the blind society, enough funding for the RTI Commission and continuous advocacy.
This national-level forum will be followed by a regional convening in Tamale to provide a similar platform for actors and stakeholders in the northern zone of the country.