The Commission on the Right To Information (RTI) has asked the general public to submit proposals and recommendations towards the making of the Legislative Instrument (L.I) for the RTI implementation.
A statement signed by Justice (Rtd) K.A Ofori Atta, Chairman of the Commission said proposals and recommendations can be sent by email: [email protected] or postal address. P. O. Box YK1179, Kanda Accra.
“The Commission wishes to state that all Public Information with the exceptions in the Right to Information Act, Act 989, are accessible to the Public and no one should be denied access to information by reason that fees for information has not been determined.
“The Commission hereby states its readiness to receive complaints by email: [email protected] while steps are taken to establish the Commissions office. The Commission is firmly committed to its mandate under the Right to Information Act, 2019, Act 989,” the statement said.
It further explained that in order to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public affairs and to ensure the implementation of the Constitutional Right to Information held by public institutions subject to necessary exceptions, The Parliament of the Republic of Ghana passed the Right to Information Bill. The Bill was assented to by the President of the Republic of Ghana in May 2019.
Thereafter the bill became the Right to Information Act 2019, Act 989. The Act established the Right to Information Commission with the object to Promote, Monitor, Protect and Enforce the Right to Information granted to persons under Article 21 paragraph (f) of the 1992 Constitution of the 4th Republic.
Since becoming law, the Government through the Ministry of Information began a road map for the implementation of the Act by recruiting and training information officers to assist Public Institutions perform their functions under the Right to Information Act, 2019, Act 989.
Presently, as required under the law most Public Institutions have set up information offices or do have an information officer designated to receive and respond to applications for information under the Right to information Act On the 19th of October 2020, the President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo swore into office A Seven-Member Board of the Commission under the law to set up and operate what the Right to Information Act establishes as the Right to Information Commission. Since its inauguration, the Commission has taken steps to put together an administrative and operational frame work for the smooth implementation of the Right to Information Act, 2019, Act 989. Funds for the Commission for its take-off is expected to be provided for in the 2021 National Budget.
The Minister of Information in consultation with the Commission has begun steps to put together Regulations by way of Legislative Instrument (L.I) under section 83 of the Right to Information Act 2019, Act 989 to among other things provide for further procedures for access to information under the Act.
“We are by this statement requesting for proposals from the General Public, Civil Society Organisations and Institutions of Higher Learning to submit proposals and recommendations towards the making of the Legislative Instrument (L.I).”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana
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