Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
The Vice President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, has announced that a revised version of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill has been approved by Cabinet and forwarded to Parliament.
“Cabinet has given approval for the Right to Information Bill to be laid in Parliament for debate and approval because it is very critical that we pass the Right to Information Bill,” Dr Bawumia stated during the Norway-Ghana Business and Investment Forum in Accra yesterday.
Attorney-General, Gloria Akuffo and Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, are said to be pushing for the Bill to be laid before the House rises on Friday, March 23.
The RTI Bill, which is expected to help in the fight against corruption, has been in and out of parliament for the past 15 years since it was first laid in 2003.
The vice president’s statement comes after increased agitations from civil society groups like the Right to Information Coalition, that have called for the passage of the Bill before parliament rises on Friday.
The Vice President said the Bill, if approved, will go a long way to boost the fight against corruption and strengthen investor confidence in Ghana.
“It is our hope that this will be an additional feather in our cap in the fight against corruption,” he said.
“Ghana has taken cognizance of the mistakes of others. Since coming into office, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has deployed some bold initiatives aimed at curbing the corruption menace in order to assure the investing public of the safety of their investments,” he told the audience at the Norway-Ghana Business and Investment Forum.
During the country’s 61st Independence Anniversary last two weeks, the President gave assurance that he would facilitate the laying of the Bill in parliament before the House rises.
He, however, is under pressure from civil society groups, with only five days left for the legislators to rise.
A group of campaigners on Monday hit the streets of Accra, distributing flyers to push for the Bill to be laid before Parliament after mounting pressure on the government.
