The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has outlined a five-year strategic plan to build capacity toward implementation of Act 989 and to entrench its position as an independent competent body.
The very young Commission – after undertaking a risk assessment study that disclosed factors such as lack of transparency, accountability and proactive information disclosure, as well as loss of public confidence in enforcing their right to access information – said it will develop mitigating steps to deliver seamless service to all and sundry.
Its Executive Secretary, Yaw Sarpong Boateng, speaking to media on the side-lines of the strategic plan’s launch, stressed that management is committed to positioning the Commission properly to deliver critical service of information access to the public.
He mentioned various internal and external factors – including resistance to compliance, lack of required technology, lack of professionalism, limited financial resources, bureaucracy and stakeholder buy-in as some of the core issues to be addressed by the strategic plan.
“We have analysed our operations over the past year, and came up with the five-year strategic plan to: enhance the capacity of our officers and stakeholders; ensure compliance with the act; enhance visibility and strengthen the Commission’s independence; adopt digital platforms for efficiency; expand presence across all 16 regions of the country; and conduct research,” he said.
He maintained that his outfit is focused on building an informed citizenry, holding public institutions accountable in terms of access to information and promoting accountability. He appealed to international partners and corporate Ghana for financial and technical support to assist the Commission in executing the well-thought-through plan.
Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, in his keynote address commended the Commission for exhibiting strong leadership and holding all state actors who default on their mandates to provide information accountable to the law.
He mentioned that for the RTI Act to work effectively, three key players – namely demand, supply and regulatory stakeholders – must all play their respective roles judiciously; which so far has been done well to some extent, but more must be done by all parties for the sector to be strong.
“As rightly said, the Commission will use this period to expand its presence to all 16 regions; with critical attention given to gender, youth and disability. The drafted legislative instrument for RTI Act 989 will soon reach Cabinet, and further enhance quasi-judicial functions of the Commission,” he said
He emphasised that partnerships with key stakeholders will be important for successful execution of the strategies – hence partners like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); and the other civil society organisations must all support this initiative.
“To our foreign partners, if you truly are concerned about our democracy, this is the time to show your support and interest by investing in the Commission’s work to build capacity – not only sending delegations to report on our elections,” he said.
Dr. Edith Dankwa, a RTI Commission Board Member and Board Chairperson of the B&FT, reiterated the call for corporate Ghana and all stakeholders to support Commission’s initiatives as it embarks on activities to source resources for executing the five-year strategy.
The Commission has facilitated the processing of over 1,000 right to information applications over the past year, and is hopeful to see more applications.
President of the Ghana Journalists’ Association, Albert Dwumfour, assured the Commission of support from the media as a key beneficiary of the RTI law – noting the importance of collaboration in making information accessible to the public.
