The Minister for Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, has addressed significant challenges encountered during the 2023 implementation of Ghana’s Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2019.
In a statement to Parliament, she emphasized the urgent need for increased financial resources and enhanced cooperation from public institutions to ensure the effective operation of the RTI framework.
Abubakar identified multiple obstacles, including inadequate financial resources, logistical constraints, attrition among RTI officers, limited cooperation from public institutions, and bureaucratic hurdles delaying responses to information requests. She underscored the impact of these challenges on the functionality of the RTI architecture, particularly citing the difficulty in maintaining quality assurance and providing timely responses.
The Minister called for augmented budgetary allocations to bolster the RTI Commission and the ATI Division of the ISD, urging swift financial clearance to fill staff vacancies and ensure compliance measures across regional offices in Kumasi, Sunyani, and Bolgatanga.
Despite the challenges, Abubakar highlighted progress, noting that 322 institutions submitted annual reports and received 1,749 requests. She praised the Ghana Revenue Authority for processing the highest requests and detailed the outcomes, including approvals, rejections, transfers, and deferrals, emphasizing the Act’s role in promoting transparency and accountability.
In response, Parliamentarians across party lines commended the Minister for her timely report submission and reiterated the government’s commitment to upholding transparency and accountability through the RTI Act.
The ongoing legislative work on the RTI Act’s Legislative Instrument (LI) was also highlighted, signalling further strides towards strengthening Ghana’s information access framework.
