Bolgatanga: The Right to Information Commission (RTIC) has conducted a sensitisation programme for the staff of the Information Services Department (ISD) from the 15 Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) in the Upper East Region. The session, held in Bolgatanga, was aimed at Public Relations Officers (PROs) from the MDAs, providing education on the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2019 (Act 989) to enhance public awareness and assist institutions in implementing the law effectively.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Richard Antwi Boasiako, the Regional Manager of the RTIC, highlighted that all public institutions are legally required to submit annual reports to the Commission. These reports should detail the number of information requests received, granted, denied, and the reasons for any denials. He stressed the presence of administrative penalties for non-compliance, urging public institutions to adhere to these requirements to avoid sanctions.
Mr. Boasiako also mentioned the necessity for every public institution to appoint a Public Relations Officer to manage information requests. In situations where institutions lack such personnel, the RTIC is collaborating with the ISD to fill this gap. He acknowledged the ISD as a crucial partner in implementing the RTI law, and noted that ISD staff are being assigned to the role of PRO in districts where such officers are absent.
Mr. Joshua Effah Osei, the Assistant Regional Manager of the Commission, applauded ISD personnel who have assumed the PRO role in MDAs lacking these officers. He explained that the RTIC was established under Section 40 of the RTI Act, 2019 (Act 989) to promote, monitor, protect, and enforce the constitutional right to information guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. He also advised the public that not all information could be accessed under the law due to certain classified and sensitive categories.
Mr. Yussif Bennin Duori, the Regional Director of ISD, expressed his commitment to supporting the RTIC and urged ISD staff in various MDAs to actively contribute to the RTI law's implementation. He emphasized the importance of organizing more programmes in the region to engage more institutions and pledged his support to collaborate with the Commission in achieving this goal.
The programme was facilitated by senior officers from the Commission, including Mr. Prince Adofo, Mr. Fred Agyemang, and Ms. Abigail Bima Acheampong. They guided participants through essential topics such as the right to access information, the provisions of the RTI Act, procedures for requesting information, and categories of exempt information.
