The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has introduced its ambitious “Pathway to Open and Transparent Governance” plan, aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and public access to information from government institutions.
Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, commended the Commission’s forward-thinking approach and emphasized the significance of their comprehensive five-year strategic plan during the unveiling event in Accra on July 20, 2023.
Executive Secretary, Yaw Sarpong Boateng, highlighted the plan’s commitment to fostering a culture of openness and responsiveness in public institutions and called for continued support from all stakeholders to achieve improved information dissemination, empowered citizens, and a more inclusive approach to governance over the next five years.
He said, ” I want to, in particular, commend the RTI Commission for putting up this five-year strategic plan. They’re not only thinking about year by year what they are doing, but they have decided to think through the medium term and outline this five-year strategic plan that we want to outdoor. That is why we need to commend them strongly.”
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, on Friday 30 June 2023, delivered the 2022 report on the performance of the Right to Information (RTI) Act to parliament.
In his address, Mr Nkrumah highlighted the crucial contributions of the Access to Information (ATI) Division of the Information Services Department (ISD) and the RTI Commission in driving the successful implementation of the RTI Act.
“We have made significant strides in enhancing the implementation of the RTI Act,” the Minister stated. “The ATI Division of the ISD has embarked on five major tasks in the year gone by. Significant among these tasks are the recruitment and deployment of Information Officers, and the support to information units,” he added.
He emphasized that the government’s commitment to accountability and transparency is evident in the inclusion of RTI compliance as Key Performance Indicators in the Chief Director’s Performance Agreement. This step highlights the importance of upholding the principles of the RTI Act and promoting transparency within public institutions.
Regarding the accomplishments of the RTI Commission, the minister disclosed that the regulatory body had obtained prosecutorial authority from the Attorney General to take action against individuals and institutions that violate the RTI Act.
He lauded the Commission for conducting compliance surveys, handling review applications, and acquiring additional resources to improve its effectiveness and efficiency.
“Mr. Speaker, in terms of the work that the regulator has done, the RTI Commission has done in the year gone by, the regulator has secured the prosecutorial mandate from the Attorney General of the Republic, has also conducted compliance surveys, determined review applications that have come before it, secured additional logistics for its operations, promoted the Right to Information Act and its infrastructure and issued guidelines for the compilation and publication of information units,” he emphasised.
The Minister shared significant data on the number of information requests received by public institutions during the reviewed year. Out of the expected 683 institutions, 382 submitted annual reports to the RTI Commission, showing a 55% compliance rate. These institutions received a total of 783 applications, with 669 being approved, rejected, transferred, or deferred in accordance with the provisions of the RTI Act.
Looking ahead, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah outlined the upcoming plans. The ATI Division aims to implement the Online Records Management System to streamline the online application and request process. Additionally, he promised to present the legislative instrument for the RTI Act to Parliament before the end of the year.
Regarding the future initiatives of the RTI Commission, he mentioned their intention to establish field offices in Kumasi and Sunyani to provide services closer to the Ghanaian people. The Commission will continue public awareness campaigns and strive to appoint Information Officers in the remaining 333 public institutions, subject to available funding.
In accordance with the Right to Information (RTI) law, a resource center has been launched by the Media Foundation for West Africa(MFWA) in Accra to assist individuals who request information from governmental organizations.
The Access to Information Support Centre, which is accessible through dedicated call lines ((0531323225), WhatsApp messages (0531323225) and electronic mails (rtisupport@mfwa.org), was established by the MFWA as part of efforts by the RTI Commission to reach out to everyone.
The centre will also provide guidance on how the public can request information or appeal decisions using the law and general information about the RTI Law.
Launch
The Executive Secretary of the RTI Commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng, who launched the centre in Accra yesterday, explained that the platform would help his outfit to educate the public, particularly the vulnerable.
He said access to information should not be downplayed in any democracy, stressing that it empowered people to hold governments accountable.
The commission, he said, placed premium on a successful implementation of the law, hence the commission’s decision to open its doors to everyone seeking to make the law work better.
He commended the MFWA for helping to enhance public knowledge on the law through various interventions.
Awareness
The Programme Manager in charge of Media and Good Governance at MFWA, Abigail Larbi-Odei, said since the passage of the RTI Law, the MFWA had implemented a series of activities to sensitise and promote public awareness of the law.
Tho activities, she said, included the publication of a Media Guide on the RTI Law and training for journalists, programme hosts and presenters on how to utilise the law for in-depth reporting and programming; training of over 150 local governmentofficials made up of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives, coordinating directors and Information officers from various assemblies across the country on their obligations under the law, among others.
She said despite these efforts, limited awareness and uptake of the law by the public remained serious challenges.
“We believe that this Access to Information Support Centre will provide support to the general public who need guidance on how to use the RTI Law to request information from public institutions.
“Let us remember that an informed citizen is an empowered citizen, and so we encourage the government and other civil society actors, including the media, to intensify public education on the merits of the RTI Law.
“It is when the public are aware of the law and its usefulness to their lives, democracy and governance that they will be better empowered to utilise it,” she added.
TheGhana Police Servicehas been penalized with a fine of GHS100,000 due to its failure to adhere to the directives of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission.
These directives mandated the police to provide the requested information to an applicant as required by the RTI.
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Africa, had sought information on the status of cases involving police brutality.Despite addressing the request to the Inspector General of Police, the Police Service completely ignored it.
The RTI Commission in a statement highlighted the Respondent’s failure to make decisions on the applicant’s request, along with their disregard for the Commission’s letter.“Based on the Respondent’s failure to make decisions on the Applicant’s application lodged with it, the Respondent has clearly failed to perform its obligation under Act 989.
This is coupled with its failure to respond to the Commission’s letter received by it.“Such a posture by the Respondent is not to be encouraged as it is an affront to the right of access to information enshrined under Article 21(1) (f) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and affirmed by Act 989 and same ought to be disapproved in strong terms.
“For this reason, an administrative penalty of GH¢ 100,000.00 is imposed on the Respondent and this shall be payable to the Commission not later than 14 days after receipt of this decision of the Commission by the Respondent.
“The penalty so imposed shall attract an additional default penalty rate of l0% on the principal penalty sum of GH¢100,000.00 in the event of default for any additional 14 days thereafter.”
Ghanaians are being encouraged to utilize the provisions of the Right to Information law to access information from public institutions whenever the need arises.
In order to facilitate this process, a significant number of public institutions, totaling 478, have established information units and appointed designated officers to handle requests made under the Right to Information (RTI) Law.
Investigative journalists, who often uncover sensitive information and hold public officials accountable, are particularly vulnerable to physical and digital attacks. These attacks typically come from individuals associated with officials who fear exposure and public scrutiny.
To provide protection and support to journalists, Kwaku Krobea Asante, the Project Coordinator at the Media Foundation for West Africa, emphasizes that journalists should take refuge in the provisions of the Right to Information Law.
“The law empowers citizens. No longer will journalists or citizens go to public offices and beg for information. It gives the citizens power to stand behind the law and push and call for the fundamental human rights to information,” he said.
Citizen groups and journalists in the Ashanti Region who participated in the training are expected to hold duty bearers in their communities accountable.
“We live in a society where the people seeking accountability sometimes become targets. Sometimes the work you are doing may be making a public official unpopular. We advise journalists to be careful of how they conduct themselves in public spaces. Sometimes, it is not just about the physical attacks, but digital attacks,” he advised.
TheRight to Information (RTI) Training Manual has been endorsed by the country’s judges by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Africa Office in partnership with the Judicial Training Institute of Ghana.
The manual provides a theoretical and practical understanding of the RTI Act in executing its mandatory duties.
The manual has five models- the concept of Right to Information, the benefits of the Right to Information, the International and regional legal frameworks on the Right to Information, the principles underpinning the Right to Information and the obligations of public institutions in promoting the Right to Information regime.
Justice Kwaku Tawiah Ackaah Boafo, Justice of the Court of Appeal, speaking at the validation of the manual, underscored the importance of the Judiciary in ensuring the smooth and effective implementation of the Right to Information Act.
Parliament passed Ghana’s Right to Information Act, (Act 989) in March 2019 to provide a framework for the implementation of the Right.
Justice Boafo said the manual would provide the Judiciary with an understanding of the Act and the key principles underpinning its implementation.
The Court, he stressed, would be positioned through the manual to review decisions made by public institutions when requests were refused.
He said the manual would equip judges to play their roles effectively and that the proper implementation of the Act would consolidate the country’s democratic governance.
He said the RTI had gained international recognition because it was a human rights initiative and a tool that empowered the citizenry to demand accountability from the government.
Justice Boafo said the RTI legislation was not only unique to Ghana, but also across other countries, including Nigeria, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
He said since the passage in 2019, the Ministry of Works and Housing and other agencies had adopted the Act and designed the same for implementation.
He said even though there might be challenges in every legislation, there would be room for comparative learning for sustained development.
Justice I. O. Tanko Amadu, Acting Director, Ghana Judicial Training Institute, said the judiciary had the duty to ensure that state machinery and policies did not infringe on fundamental rights, including those of marginalised groups.
“A well-resourced and well-equipped, and informed judiciary is essential to curtailing failures by state actors in the discharge of their duties under the law,” he said.
Mrs Ogonna Okaigwe, RTI Consultant, who took the judges through the manual, said the purpose was to provide a theoretical and practical understanding of the Act in executing their mandatory duties.
She said the manual, among others, could be used for the training of judges and other institutions with the mandate to review decisions made on RTI applications.
The Coalition on the Right to Information Ghana and participants said the manual would facilitate greater participation in decision-making and ensure access to information in the country.
The Auditor-General has been given a seven-day deadline to provide a report on the GH 2.2 billion in recovery that pressure group OccuppyGhana claims it has made.
The group claimed in a statement dated March 7, 2023 that despite numerous attempts to obtain the Auditor-report General’s on the alleged claim, they have not yet done so.
In order to compel the Auditor-General to release the aforementioned report, it will be up to the Right to Information (RTI) Commission, according to OccupyGhana.
OccupyGhana’s statement
RE: AUDITOR-GENERAL RETRIEVES GH&2.2BN – REPRESENTS DISALLOWANCES FROM 2017 TO 2020
On 30 September 2022 we wrote to you (our ref: 0G/2022/037), demanding evidence backing the claim that you had issued disallowances and made recoveries in the amount stated in the heading to this letter.
You responded by a letter signed by one Ali Mohammed Zakaria (DAG/FAHRD) and dated 7 October 2022 (your ref: DAG/F&A/FIN/22.10/001), claiming that you had drafted a report on the recoveries, you were finalising it for Parliament, and ‘immediately the report is finalised a copy will be made available’ to us.
On 11 January 2023, we wrote to you (our ref: OG/2023/001) to inquire whether you had finalised your report, and requesting that a copy of the report be made available to us. You have not responded to that letter.
We write to repeat our request and to notify you that we will escalate this request to the Right to Information Commission, if we do not receive a copy of the promised report from you within seven days of the date of this letter.
The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has ruled that information on President Akufo-Addo’s travels on both private and state-owned presidential jets, and the accompanying cost incurred, should not be made public.
The Commission said such information falls under the exempted information specified in section 5 of the RTI law. The RTI Commission cited national security concerns for its ruling.
However, on June 24, 2022, while the petition was pending before the RTI Commission, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, shared the president’s itinerary during one of President Akufo-Addo’s travels abroad.
This contradicts the RTI commission’s decision that disclosing the type of flight, the President’s itinerary and the size of the delegation, puts the security of the President at risk and therefore, the information was exempted.
While the president was still on the trip, the Director of Communications released a press statement and, among others, gave details of some of the places the president was yet to go:
“…the President travelled to Belgium on board an Air France commercial flight (AF0584), which departed Accra on Sunday 7:20 PM, made a stop-over in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and then continued to Paris. In fact, all of President Akufo Addo’s 12-member delegation travelled via commercial,” the press statement stated.
It continued: “One such trip to be undertaken by the President, where the Presidential jet is to be used, will be on Sunday, 26th June, where he will travel to Lisbon, Portugal, to attend the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, and return home Wednesday, 29th June,” the statements issued by the Presidency said.
It was in response to allegations the Member of Parliament North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, had made that the President had hired a private jet for the trip in question.
Though the office of the president gave details of a trip that was still pending, the RTI Commission ruled that information Manasseh was seeking about a past trip on similar issues could not be released.
Manasseh Azure Awuni, in December 2021, requested information on the procurement process used in selecting the companies from which the presidency rented private jets for the president’s travels as well as the cost of renting the private jets between May and September 2021.
The Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Estate also wanted a copy of the assessment report which declared the current presidential jet technically unfit for use by the president for which the presidency resorted to the renting of private jets. The request also wanted to know the number of people who travelled with the president.
In a response on January 19, 2022, the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, commended The Fourth Estate for its use of the RTI law. She, however, said the information requested was exempted according to the RTI law.
“Your request for access to information on the president’s travel has been carefully considered and I have found that the information requested falls within the kinds of information classified as “exempt from disclosure” by the RTI Act as the information requests relate to:
The movement and travels of the president, the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, which information is a matter of national security.
Information on the processes leading to the choice by the President of a specific aircraft for his travels and the manner of those travels; and
The presidential jet is part of the equipment of the Ghana Armed Forces and thus, its use is part of the defence mechanisms of the Republic.
“The Information requested is, therefore, exempt under sections 5(1) (b)(ii),9(1)(a) and (9)(2) of the RTI Act.
Unsatisfied with the response, Manasseh wrote an internal appeal to President Akufo-Addo on February 10, 2022, for a review of the Chief of Staff’s decision. This step was in accordance with section 31 of the RTI Act, 2019 (Act 989).
He argued that despite the Chief of Staff’s reference to section 5(1) of the RTI Act, section 5(2) of the Act states that “Information which contains factual or statistical data is not exempt information.”
“Section 5(2) therefore excludes parts of our request, especially the portions relating to numbers, costs, and statistics, from being exempt,” he stated.
“Moreover, the issue concerning the president’s hiring and travels in a private jet is an issue of public interest that has generated fierce debates and discussions in parliament, the media, and among the general public,” the appeal to the president stated.
It continued: “For many citizens, the issue borders on the abuse of authority by the president, and neglect in the performance of his official function of protecting the public purse, especially when the state has a functioning presidential jet in Dassault Falcon 900-EXE, which is being used by some heads of States in the West African sub-region. My request, therefore, relates to the public interest and abuse of authority, in accordance with section 17(1)(d)(e), which states:
“‘Despite a provision of this Act on information exempt from disclosure, information is not exempt from disclosure if the disclosure of the information reveals evidence of:
(d)an abuse of authority or a neglect in the performance of an official function;
or (e) any other matter of public interest and the benefits of disclosure clearly outweigh the harm or danger that the disclosure will cause.’”
The appeal to the President said the response of the Chief of Staff failed to prove that disclosing the cost of the private jet rented by the president, and the procurement processes leading to that could jeopardise the security of the president.
More than 15 days later, the president failed to respond to the internal review application as required by the RTI law. This necessitated an appeal to the RTI Commission on the matter.
RTI Commission’s ruling
It said a critical assessment of the requests by “the applicant [Manasseh Awuni Azure] shows that responses to those requests, in one way or the other, reveal information about the President’s movement: the number of people he normally travels with, the type of aircraft that is normally hired for his travels and the companies whose aircraft are normally hired and the movement of the presidential jet.”
It added: “All these are things that pertain to the President’s security, the security of his movements, the security of the officers he travels with; all feeding into national security or security of the State. Information in that respect should therefore be exempt from disclosure in accordance with sections 5(1)(b)(ii) and 9 (1)(a), (2) of Act 989,” the commission’s ruling said.
The ruling came 10 months after Manasseh Azure Awuni petitioned the Commission on the presidency’s refusal to disclose information on the cost of renting private jets for the president’s foreign travels, the procurement processes and the size of entourage which had become subject of intense public debate.
The Commission said aside from grounding its ruling in Section 5 of the RTI law, the responses the Minister of National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah, gave Parliament in December 2021, affirmed its argument that the information be exempted from disclosure to the public.
The National Minister had told Parliament that “recent official travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa by President Akufo-Addo are paid for out of the operational funds from the Ministry of National Security. Mr Speaker, payments out of the ministry’s operational funds are glued with rules of confidentiality and state secrecy and it is not the normal practice…to make the suggested disclosures.”
Manasseh had argued to the commission that the information had statistical value and was, therefore, not exempted.
The RTI Commission said although the cost of the President’s travel was statistical data, which should be permissible under Act 989, its view “is that where those figures tell on the security of the President and his entourage, and therefore the national security of the State, those ‘figures’ or statistical information ought to be exempted from disclosure under Act 989 per sections 5(1) (b)(ii),9(1)(a), (2)).’’
The list of 13 exemptions in Section 5 of the Act includes information relating to law enforcement and public safety and security of the state, information prepared for the president, vice president or cabinet. Others are matters affecting international relations and information relating to economic or any other interest.
Do other countries disclose the cost of their president’s travel?
The demand for transparency and accountability about presidential travels and subsequent disclosure is not new. In other democracies, including countries in southern Africa and North America, governments have been open to parliamentary enquiries and right to information requests on the matter.
South Africa
In November 2011, South Africa’s Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Lindiwe Sisulu, told Parliament that former South African President, Jacob Zuma’s, trip to the United States of America in September 2011 cost the public purse R6.3 million(the equivalent of $732,558).
Botswana
Botswana also ticked the box of transparency for presidential travels. In August 2022, the Ministry for State President told lawmakers that President Mokgweetsi Masisi spent P18 million ($1,401,660) on his official trips to 26 countries including Ghana.
United States
In the United States of America, the Government’s Accountability Office disclosed in January 2019 that President Donald Trump’s four trips to Mar-a-Lago from February 3, 2017, to March 5, 2017, cost a little over US$13 million.
“We estimate that federal agencies incurred costs of about $13.6 million,” the office said.
Through a freedom of information request, Judicial Watch, a non-governmental organisation in the United States which promotes transparency and accountability went to court and obtained information that former American President Barack Obama’s travel expenses for his eight years in office cost the US taxpayer $96,938,882.51.
Canada
In Canada, the Department of National Defence pegged Prime Minister, Justine Trudeau’s cost of travel on a two-day trip in August 2020 at Can$54,115.08. This information was made available through a freedom of information request.
Statistics available at the Right To Information (RTI) Commission indicate that 247 information were requested by citizens/individuals in public institutions in 2021.
This, according to the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng, is a 974 percent increase from 23 requests made in 2020″, adding that statistics for 2022 could even be higher.
He said, “this is a clear indication that there has been an increased interest in the use of RTI law to access information and hold public institutions accountable for their work”.
Mr Boateng has, therefore, charged public institutions with the right to information law to facilitate access to information to avoid being taken on legally, saying “the RTI law allows citizens to hold duty bearers accountable to provide information”.
He was addressing the opening ceremony of a two-day induction and orientation of RTI officers of the Lands Commission selected from the 16 regions of the country.
The implementation of the RTI law, he said, was an important milestone in the quest for building an enlightened and prosperous society.
“RTI has become a tool to advance our democracy to improve participatory development…you should, therefore, be proactive to disclose information and be aware that giving out false information can land you into trouble”.
He told them that they were not necessarily the information holders and that they should be smart to know where to find the information that an individual would be requiring and also be transparent.
“You should be transparent to make information available as access to public information is seen as an important step towards strengthening democracy, good governance, public service, and long-term development”.
Mr Evans Mamphey, Head of Human Resources of Lands Commission, told the staff that they were, by law, supposed to give out information within the confines of the law to the public.
He urged them to be abreast of the RTI law to be able to discharge their duties accordingly.
Dr Nafisa Mahama, Head of the Access To Information (ATI) Division of the Ministry of Information, observed that some government officials kept the information as their personal property.
According to her, once they are generating information with public funds, “it is not a bonafide property of anyone, but a property of the institutions or organisations.
She cautioned them to be careful because “failure or non-compliance with the provisions or obligations authorised by the Act constitutes gross misconduct and attracts imposition of administrative penalty from the RTI Commission”.
In view of that, she said the Information Ministry had collaborated with the RTI Commission to embark on sensitisation of public institutions to be adequately prepared and test to deliver satisfactorily.
Parliament has passed the law spelling out the various fees to be paid by persons seeking Information under the Right to Information (RTI)law.
This is the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous provisions Act 2022 (ACT 1080). Persons seeking Information are to pay 0.27 pesewas for every photocopy of A4 size of information.
ection 75 of the Right to Information Act, 2019, (ACT 989) requires applicants to pay the fee approved by Parliament.
“An applicant seeking access to information under this Act shall pay the fee or charge approved by Parliament in accordance with the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act,2009 (Act 793).”
The Right to Information Commission in accordance with this law submitted a proposal to Parliament spelling out how much should be charged.
Even before this could be passed, applicants seeking information were in some instances asked to pay amounts considered to be problematic.
The Fourth Estate’s Evans Aziamor Mensah was asked by the Minerals Commission to pay $1,000 to access Information.
This amount was later set aside by the Right to Information Commission as being unreasonable. The matter is currently pending at the Court of Appeal.
Speaking on The Law on the Joynews Channel, Executive Secretary of the RTI Commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng, said the new fees approved by Parliament will provide clarity on the matter.
“It sits with our argument that the fees ought to be reasonable in respect of the reproduction not for the cost of generating the Information.”
“We all need to learn more about this law because it is not intended for a certain group of individuals, but rather for everyone,” he stated.
Therefore, Mr. Boateng urged the public to fully utilize the commission, adding “our doors are open to everyone and we beg the people to take advantage of this creation to exercise their right.” He was speaking during a health screening exercise.
The health screening exercise and health walk for residents of Madina and its environs in Accra formed part of activities of the Right to Information Week celebrations.
“Artificial intelligence – governance and access to information”.
The celebration falls in line with the International Day for Universal Access to Information on September 28, 2022, set aside by the UN to celebrate access to information across the globe.
Health walk
The residents were joined by staff of the commission to march through some principal streets of Accra starting from Dzorwulu and ended at the Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School (PRESEC).
They carried placards with various inscriptions which sort to sensitise the public to their right to information.
At PRESEC, they were taken through aerobic routines amid singing and dancing, followed by football matches between various departments of the commission, as well as the Ministry of Information.
And during the free medical screening exercise, patrons were examined for Hepatitis B, eye and breast diseases, High Blood pressure, as well as other diseases.
According to Mr Boateng, the exercise was important because it enabled staff of the commission and the general public to keep fit.
A beneficiary, Vincent Agyapong Bediako, who had successfully gone through the processes, expressed gratitude to the commission and its partners for bringing health care close to the community.
“I just finished checking my eyes. There was nothing wrong with it but I know it’s good to check up. So that’s what I came here to do. I was offered some advice which I intend to follow,” he said.
Occupy Ghana, a pressure group, has petitioned the Right to Information (RTI) Commission to order the Lands Commission to provide details on all public lands that the Commission had allegedly returned to owners.
The petition dated September 20, 2022 and addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Commission, said the action had been necessitated due to the Lands Commission’s “conceivable trick to frustrate” access to the documents.
The Group has, therefore, asked the RTI Commission to make the Lands Commission provide it (the Group) with a list of all public lands over, which Government’s ownership or control had been relinquished and the names of the persons to whom those lands had been released.
They are also asking that the respective sizes and locations (suburbs, towns/cities, and regions) of all such lands, and the conditions of release, whether free, sale, lease or license be provided.
OccupyGhana is also asking that the Lands Commission be made to tell the Group the amount of rent paid or payable, and any other amounts paid to or received by Government, if any, for the release of a land.
According to the Group, the Lands Commission had purportedly returned some public lands to the original owners in compliance with article 20(5) and (6) of the Constitution.
However, the Group said such action by the Commission was contrary to the Supreme Court’s ruling that those provisions did not apply to lands acquired before the Constitution came into force.
“Checks with both the Lands Ministry and Lands Commission have confirmed that contrary to article 258(2), there is no government policy that authorises these alleged returns of lands to purported original owners,” the pressure group noted.
The Group said it had between June 2 and September 15, 2022, engaged with the Commission to be given the needed information in line with the right to information and to be accounted to, as Ghanaians per constitutional provisions.
It said reasons for, which the information had not been given included a demand to name an individual with whom the Commission would deal with, request for time to compile the information from the regions, and the calling for a meeting to discuss the Group’s concerns.
According to OccupyGhana, the Commission also said it needed the advice of the Attorney-General on the request in the light of the provisions of the Data Protection Act and the Right to Information Act.
“At this stage, we are concerned that unless and until compelled by the Right to Information Commission to do so, the Lands Commission will keep coming up with one unsustainable excuse after another,” the Group said, hence, the petition.
As part of activities of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission week celebrations 2022, the commission organised a health walk and medical screening on Saturday in Accra.
The celebration, on the theme “Artificial Intelligence, E-Governance and Access to Information” aimed at empowering all persons to have access to information from public institutions in order to promote a culture of transparency and accountability.
The celebration started with the health walk from the RTI office- Dzorwulu at 7:00 a.m. through Accra Mall, all the way to Legon and finally to the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School around Madina.
During the walk, staff members, students and a section of the public around the areas, covered in multi-coloured Lacoste shirts and jerseys, were seen holding placards and reciting the inscriptions on the cards.
Again, aerobic sessions and soccer games were organised at the premises of the Odadee Alumni and Mentorship Centre in the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School, coinciding with the medical screening.
Participants were seen seated in a queue around 10:00 a.m. being refreshed while waiting for their turn to be attended to.
The health screenings covered Hepatitis B, Lab tests, blood pressure, eye test, breast examination and medical consultation.
In an interview with the Executive Secretary of RTI commission, Mr Yaw Sarpong Boateng, said keeping fit was very important which was why their celebration was planned to remind people of being healthy.
“We are also using this opportunity to sensitise, create the awareness and interest in the citizenry towards the right to information,” he said.
Mr Boateng encouraged everyone to access their service whenever they needed any information, especially because it was free.
“The law has come for us all not for a few people to use, we must activate the use of the laws so we all see the loopholes to make some amendments hopefully, also our office our open to all as well as our phone numbers,” he added.
A Medical Laboratory Scientist at MDS-Lancet laboratory, Bright Kumi, who supported in the screening exercise said with about 97 people who tested for Hepatitis B, a few tested positive.
“Those who tested positive have been advised on the way forward and others who tested negative have been asked to get vaccinated and take care of themselves to prevent them from any exposure,” he stated.
He advised the general public to be very alert on their health, know their status and not overlook the Hepatitis B infection because it was more dangerous and could easily kill than HIV/AIDS.
A health walk andmedical screening were held on Saturday in Accra as part of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission’s week celebrations 2022.
The event, which had “Artificial Intelligence, E-Governance, and Access to Information” as its theme, aimed to enable individuals to have access to information from public institutions in order to support a culture of accountability and transparency.
The activities began with a health walk at 7:00 am from the RTI headquarters in Dzorwulu via Accra Mall, all the way to Legon, and then to the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School in the Madina area.
During the walk, staff members, students and a section of the public around the areas, covered in multi-coloured Lacoste shirts and jerseys, were seen holding placards and reciting the inscriptions on the cards.
Again, aerobic sessions and soccer games were organised at the premises of the Odadee Alumni and Mentorship Centre in the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School, coinciding with the medical screening.
Participants were seen seated in a queue around 10:00 a.m. being refreshed while waiting for their turn to be attended to.
The health screenings covered Hepatitis B, Lab tests, blood pressure, eye test, breast examination and medical consultation.
In an interview with the Executive Secretary of RTI commission, Mr Yaw Sarpong Boateng, said keeping fit was very important which was why their celebration was planned to remind people of being healthy.
“We are also using this opportunity to sensitise, create the awareness and interest in the citizenry towards the right to information,” he said.
Mr Boateng encouraged everyone to access their service whenever they needed any information, especially because it was free.
“The law has come for us all not for a few people to use, we must activate the use of the laws so we all see the loopholes to make some amendments hopefully, also our office our open to all as well as our phone numbers,” he added.
A Medical Laboratory Scientist at MDS-Lancet laboratory, Bright Kumi, who supported in the screening exercise said with about 97 people who tested for Hepatitis B, a few tested positive.
“Those who tested positive have been advised on the way forward and others who tested negative have been asked to get vaccinated and take care of themselves to prevent them from any exposure,” he stated.
He advised the general public to be very alert on their health, know their status and not overlook the Hepatitis B infection because it was more dangerous and could easily kill than HIV/AIDS.
