Access To Information In Ghana Is A Bigger Challenge To The Civil Society-RTI Coalition

Research conducted by a group of journalists and civil society groups indicate that right to information in the country remains a bigger challenge to institutions and therefore seek immediate redress from parliament for immediate passage of the bill.

These journalists on their research contacted people in most deprived areas affected by non-transparent government to be forthcoming and get access to information as to Government fulfilling its mandate and promises made to citizens in the country.

Many people, according to research were willing to give information but government officials are not willing to release hand out records, assembly minutes, bank statements of official accounts for the development of this country.

Some civil society group are of the view that parliament should immediately approve the Right To Information (RTI) bill such that journalists, institutions and other agencies will get access to information in the country.

We strongly believe that smooth flow of information should be brief and made available for the development of these countries.

Issues related to disability in the passage of the bill still remain predominate in the process in the sense that there are still discrimination of persons with disability, the mass employment exercise handle by the local government authority and the disability fund as at now remains a bigger challenge to them.

We also realized that there were not enough officers to conduct for the inflow of information therefore seeking information according to people takes a lot of time and is tedious as well.

Some gave out with point that officials of government are only interested in getting money for the budgetary allocate for e particular project leaving project unfinished.

With all delicate excuses from government official to release information,how then can journalists report on the facts and responsibility of civil society group will be met.

This makes it clear that the very basis of democracy in Ghana is under threat”.

This is to informe the public that the RTI Coalition and DWAkademie has decided to enable journalists to put the authorities to the test.They solicited proposals for journalistic stories which required information requests to public institutions.

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