President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday gave assent to the Right to Information (RTI) Law that was passed by Parliament last March.
The Presidential assent makes the RTI law a statute under the constitution, which provisions would empower people, contain corruption, and bringing transparency and accountability in the working of the Government.
At a short ceremony at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, the President was happy that the law had been passed, saying, “I did make a commitment that when it was brought to me, I’ll give my accent to it right away.”
“It was brought to me yesterday afternoon and I thought I should sign it in the full view of the Ghanaian people,” adding “I am glad this long winding parliamentary process has finally come to an end…and I am happy that we now have a Right to Information Act.”
The President said the law when applied properly,” would provide a critical tool against corruption and enhance the quality of governance in our country.”
He congratulated the seventh Parliament for its “courage, sense of responsibility and commitment to good governance in passing this piece of legislation.”
First drafted in 1999, the Right to Information Bill (RTI), after three reviews in 2003, 2005 and 2007, was finally presented to Parliament in 2010. The bill had a chequered journey through the legislative processes, with the document going through various stages of considerations and amendments, culminating in the House passing the controversial piece of legislation into law on March 26, 2019.
The Right to Information Act mandates that timely response be given to any citizen who asks for it. It provides for the operationalisation of the constitutional right to information held by public and some private institutions, subject to exemptions that are necessary and consistent with the protection of public interest in a democratic society.
