Operationalizing the Right to Information Act (GH0049)

Problem to be addressed

● The Right to Information Law which was a major commitment under NAP-3 was eventually passed by the Parliament of Ghana in March 2019. The Right to Information Commission has since been established to oversee its implementation. The main challenge now is how to roll-out the administrative machinery for its implementation throughout the country.

The commitment

The commitment is in three-fold:  1. Create public awareness on the RTI Act, how it operates and obligations of public institutions.  2. Pass Regulations to fully operationalise the RTI Act.  3. Provide adequate funding for the implementation of the RTI Act.

Contribution of commitment to solving problem

● Effective implementation will guarantee citizen’s right to information regardless of their location, as provided for in the constitution of Ghana (Article 21(1)

Relevance of commitment to OGP values

 The commitment is crucial to the realization of the OGP value of well-informed citizenry.

Milestone Activity with a verifiable deliverable | Start Date - End Date

 IEC materials developed.  Regulations to fully operationalize RTI Act drafted. | January, 2024 - December, 2024

 Additional 250 officers recruited, trained, and deployed to all public institutions | January 2026 | December 2026

 Draft RTI Legislative Instrument (LI)  Lay the Legislative Instrument before Parliament  Secure passage of the RTI Regulations  Secure budgetary allocation for RTI implementation.  Conduct nationwide public awareness campaigns.  Build institutional understanding of RTI procedures | January 2025 - June 2027