The Ashanti and Bono Regional Ministers have praised the Right To Information Commission and its new branch offices in their regions as a boost for democracy and open governance.
Ashanti Regional Minister Dr Frank Amoakohene and his Bono counterpart Joseph Addae Akwaboah said free and unimpeded access to information was vital to the rule of law and transparent government. They spoke at separate meetings when the Executive Secretary of the Right To Information Commission, Genevieve Shirley Lartey, called on them during a tour of the Commission’s offices in the two regions.
Amoakohene said democratic governments serve at the pleasure of the people, who must be kept informed and carried along so they remain part of the system. He urged the Commission to step up public education on the value and purpose of its work.
Akwaboah welcomed the Commission’s role in promoting accountability but cautioned that its mandate should not be abused or allowed to turn it into an inquisitorial body. He pledged to ensure that the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the Bono region comply with its requirements.
Lartey said she was visiting the two regions to assess how the Commission’s staff and offices had fared since she took office a year ago, as part of a wider monitoring and evaluation exercise. She travelled with a team of senior Commission officials, including its technical adviser and the heads of legal, human resources and enforcement.
Established in 2019 under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), the Commission is mandated to promote, protect, monitor and enforce the right of access to information in Ghana.
