RTI bill will be passed in July – Mustapha Hamid

Information Minister Mustapha Hamid has given the assurance that the Right to Information Bill (RTI) will be passed by July this year.

According to him, the processes of parliament requires that the bill is relayed in the house, even though the previous parliament looked at it.

The RTI has been before Parliament since 2013. It is one of the oldest bills before the house. The Mahama administration promised to pass it before the expiration of its tenure but they failed to do so, with the President once claiming that he did not know the state of the bill in the house.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark world press freedom day in Accra Wednesday, Mr. Hamid said the Akufo-Addo government will soon relay the bill before parliament.

“We were advised that once the life of a certain parliament lapses, whatever bills was before that parliament ought to be relayed because a new parliament has come into being.

“And so to assure you that per the calendar that we have sent to parliament, it is in there that in the May to July session of this parliament, the RTI shall be before them for debate and for passage; that is a given, it is non-negotiable,” he said.