Parliament has requested an extra week to respond to a Right to Information (RTI) application seeking clarity on the United States Air Force service records of Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Member of Parliament for Abetifi and former Minister for Food and Agriculture. The request for an extension follows the expiration of the statutory 14 day window within which public institutions are mandated to respond to information requests, as stipulated under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989).
The RTI application was filed on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, and received by Parliament on the same day. A Ghanaian citizen filed the request in November to determine whether Parliament had received and archived documents relating to Dr. Acheampong’s stated service in the US Air Force from 2005 to 2009.
During his vetting before the Appointments Committee on February 20, 2023, Dr. Acheampong declined to publicly disclose the rank with which he enlisted and the rank at discharge. He insisted that the details were of a sensitive nature and would only be made available to the leadership of Parliament, along with what he described as his honourable discharge certificate.
When questioned by Member of Parliament Kwame Agbodza about the rank at which he was enlisted and the rank at which he left the US Air Force, Dr. Acheampong stated that all details of his operations at National Security should not be shared, but he could provide that to the leadership of the house. Repeated questions from MPs, including Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and Kwame Agbodza, did not elicit a definitive response.
Dr. Acheampong maintained that he would submit the documents privately to the committee. He told the Appointments Committee that when leaving the military, one receives either an honourable certificate or a dishonourable one, promising to produce his honourable discharge certificate immediately after the sitting, which would detail everything he did in the military.
According to information available, the Clerk to Parliament has informed the applicant, identified as Ticket Number 59, that the records are not readily accessible. He explained that any such documentation would have been submitted during the 8th Parliament, whose term ended on January 6, 2025. With a new Appointments Committee Chairman now in place under the 9th Parliament, the Clerk requested additional time to trace the documents.
The RTI applicant asked Parliament to confirm whether it received details of Dr. Acheampong’s enlistment and discharge ranks from the US Air Force, whether an honourable discharge certificate or any related documents were submitted, and if so, requested certified copies or sufficient extracts from those documents.
The applicant stated the decision was premised on a matter of public interest concerning statements made by Dr. Acheampong during his vetting. The applicant argues that the information is of significant public interest, given the former minister’s reliance on national security grounds to avoid public disclosure during his vetting.
The Ghanaian citizen has also petitioned the United States Embassy in Accra to verify the records of Dr. Acheampong regarding his service in the Air Force. Further investigation is underway amid allegations about the former minister’s past business dealings.
In 2023, documents allegedly from the US military’s National Personnel Records Center were published, showing Dr. Acheampong’s status as discharged, with his assignment given as National Guard Rhode Island. The documents indicated he was trained at Fuels Apprentice School and received the Air Force Training Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Dr. Acheampong has served as Member of Parliament for the Abetifi Constituency in Ghana’s Eastern Region since January 2017. He previously held the position of Minister of Food and Agriculture from February 2023 to January 2025 under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.