President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that combating corruption has been a primary focus of his administration, countering public criticism that his government has made insufficient progress in this area.
He argued that corruption thrives in secrecy and that access to information is crucial in the fight against it.
To tackle this issue, the President highlighted that his government, during its first term, successfully passed the Right to Information Act (RTI) 2019, ACT 989.
President Akufo-Addo emphasized that the Act aims to enhance accountability and transparency, fulfilling Article 21, clause 1(f) of the constitution.
Speaking at the commissioning of ‘The Law House’ project on June 10, he said, “The Act, which successive governments failed to pass, sees to the implementation of the constitutional right to information held by public institutions to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public affairs, subject to exemptions necessary and consistent with the protection of the public interest in a democratic society.
The Act is now fully implemented, with the governing board chaired by an experienced and respected retired high court judge.”
The president stated that the Ministry of Information has trained information officers across various government ministries, departments, and agencies to ensure the full implementation of the Right to Information law.
He also mentioned that in 2018, Parliament passed the Witness Protection Act, Act 975, which he signed into law on August 24th of the same year.
“The Act establishes a witness protection agency to create a witness protection scheme as a vehicle for offering protection to persons who are required to cooperate with law enforcement agencies as witnesses in the investigation and prosecution of cases, particularly corruption cases affecting public officers,” he noted.
President Akufo-Addo also dismissed former President Mahama’s portrayal of him as a “clearing agent” who always exonerates his appointees accused of corruption.
Akufo-Addo asserted that he has merely ensured thorough investigations of such cases to prevent injustices, emphasising his commitment to upholding the legal system.