Lawyer Akoto Ampaw
Lawyer Akoto Ampaw has appealed to government to ensure that the appointment of the first members of the Right To Information (RTI) Commission is guided by the principle of long term interest of the country’s democracy rather than creating an avenue for party cronies.
He said that the art and culture of building institutions in Ghana has become a “pervasive cultural deficit” that has been masterminded by interest groups who largely benefitted from ineffective institutions.
“People who are managing public institutions have vested interest in ensuring that public institutions are not effective,” he said.
He stated that the effectiveness of the RTI Commission as a strong institution would require its first members to lay a foundation of independence and neutrality from political and private interests.
“Appointment of the first members of the commission should not be based on job for the boys,” he urged.
Mr. Ampaw was speaking at a public forum held in Accra on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.
The forum was under the theme: “Implementation of the Right to Information Law: How will Ghana be different?”
He highlighted the need for a robust and responsive RTI framework and institutions that will continuously test laws and mount pressures to change the deeply rooted culture of secrecy in governance characterised by non disclosure of information.
Mr. Ampaw also commended the minister of information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah for his effort towards implementing the roadmap of the RTI law and also called for more stakeholder support in that regard.
Speaking on behalf of the Information Minister, a technical director at the information ministry, Selasi Abode-Spencer, said the roadmap towards implementing the RTI law has suffered a delay due to financial constraints.
“The ministry of finance has however committed funds to facilitate the project and we are working assiduously to have these funds released,” he said.
By Issah Mohammed
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