Don’t hijack public information - Akufo-Addo advises public officials

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on public officials not to view public infor­mation as their personal prop­erty, but a national resource that promotes public good.

In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, at the opening of the International Day for Universal Access to Informa­tion (IDUAI) in Accra on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, he said mainstreaming access to information and participation in the public sector activities must move beyond merely passing laws.

“We must embed access to information into the very fabric of our public sector institutions. Public officials must recognise that information is not their property to withhold but a public good to be shared freely. Our government, ministries, depart­ments, and agencies must proac­tively make information available, not just in response to requests but as a matter of course,” he emphasised.

President Akufo-Addo said Ghana had made great strides in this direction, stressing that “From the digitisation of public services to the creation of open data platforms, we are working to ensure that the walls of bureau­cracy no longer stand in the way of information flow.

He said even though Ghana had made some giant strides in the area of promoting access to information, much more re­mained to be done, stressing that “I remain committed to ensuring that access to information is not seen as an afterthought but as a priority in every public sector reform.”

President Akufo-Addo noted that mainstream access to information was to transform the culture of governance and to shift from a mindset of secrecy to one of openness.

“It is to ensure that every civil servant understands that their duty is not just to perform tasks behind closed doors but to en­gage with the public in a manner that fosters trust and collabora­tion. Information, however, is only one side of the coin,” he said.

The Minister of Information, Ms Fatimatu Abubakar, said since the enactment and implementa­tion of Ghana’s Right to Infor­mation Act, 2019 (Act 989), Gha­na had made significant strides in enhancing transparency and ensuring citizens had the right to request and receive information from public offices.

She said through the efforts of the Information Services De­partment (ISD) and the Right to Information Commission, Ghana had witnessed a growing aware­ness of the importance of access to information, with various public institutions implementing robust frameworks to comply with the law.

“As we move forward, it is imperative that we mainstream access to information within all public sector institutions. This means making access to informa­tion a routine part of governance processes, ensuring that govern­ment agencies actively publish key documents and records, and fostering a culture of openness that goes beyond mere compli­ance,” she said.

On his part, the Acting Di­rector General, Communication and Information of the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNES­CO), Tawfik Jelassi said the focus of this year’s Global Conference was to emphasise the need for comprehensive and free access to public information across all levels of government.

This he said was crucial for up­holding the principle that access to information was a right that should be provided by all public entities.

Mr Jelassi said the theme reflected the collective mission to ensure that access to information was not just a privilege for the few but a fundamental right for everyone, “it’s not enough to have laws on the books; they must become game-changers in our lives. And for that, they need to be effectively implemented.”