Accra: The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has awarded Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), an NGO, in recognition of its contribution to the implementation of the RTI Act. The honour, which included a plaque and a citation, was bestowed on GDCA during the RTI Commission's fifth anniversary celebration in Accra. Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, Executive Director of GDCA, who was one of the invited guests to the anniversary celebration, received the award on behalf of the organisation.
According to Ghana News Agency, part of the citation read: 'Through your vision and dedication, you have helped establish a strong foundation for a more open democratic society and an enduring institutional legacy.' GDCA, as part of its Empowerment for Life Programme (E4L), focuses on the RTI Act in view of its critical role in promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance. This is to ensure citizens' access to information to empower them to demand better service delivery, monitor public resource utilisation and hold duty-bearers accountable.
Despite the passage of the RTI Act, awareness and effective utilisation of the law remain low amongst citizens, public officials, and even designated Information Officers. Many institutions still treat information as a privilege rather than a right. Through the E4L Programme, which is funded by CISU through Ghana Venskab, both Danish organisations, GDCA has prioritised strengthening the capacity of citizen groups, Community Journalists and Network of District Monitors to effectively use the RTI Act as a tool for social accountability.
Meanwhile, the fifth anniversary celebration also featured two panel discussions; one of which was on the topic: 'Championing transparency and accountability through access to information in a digital era.' The panelists for this topic were Elizabeth Hayfron Asare from the RTI Commission, Kwaku Krobea Asante from The Fourth Estate, Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, Executive Director of GDCA, and Kweku Obeng Lartey from GIZ. Alhaji Abdel-Rahman, during the panel discussions, shared GDCA's experience in working with community groups, journalists, and volunteers in getting access to information.
One aspect that came up strongly was the payment of fines for non-compliance with the RTI Act and the fact that it was the entity involved that paid instead of individuals, who may have caused the sanctions in the first place. The discussions also considered how access to information could be enhanced in the digital era.
