Ghana’s parliament finally passes RTI bill after two decades

After almost two decades of back and forth, the Ghanaian press now has a sigh of relief as the Right to Information Bill was passed by Parliament on Tuesday March 26, 2019.

Having gone through several policy changes and amendments as well as rigorous debates on the floor of the House in the past, the virtually empty parliament read the Bill for the third time and passed it.

The House had to sit for longer hours into the evening to get the Bill passed by the few Members of Parliament present with Second Deputy Speaker, Alban Bagbin chairing proceedings.

President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to give his assent to the Bill which is seen as a major addition to the credential of Ghana as a strong democracy.

Background

The object of the RTI Bill is to provide for the operationalisation of the constitutional right to information held by public and some private institutions, subject to exemptions that are necessary and consistent with the protection of public interest in a democratic society.

It also seeks to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public affairs and to provide for related matters.

The RTI Bill was first drafted in 1999, reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007 but was only presented to Parliament in 2010. It was brought back to the Sixth Parliament but could not be passed till the expiration of that Parliament on January 6, 2016.

After months of waiting, the Bill was laid in Parliament early last year (2018) by the Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joseph Dindiok.

More to follow