MINISTER OF Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has indicated that 247 requests for information were received and processed in 65 public institutions in 2021 in line with the Right to Information (RTI), with the Department of Children receiving the highest number of requests for information (34 requests).
According to him, a total of 189 public institutions submitted their annual reports on RTI activities within their respective institutions to the RTI Commission in the year under review, and that an analysis of these reports revealed that 247 requests for information were received.
Making a statement on the floor of Parliament, the Information Minister stated that 64%, representing 159 requests, were granted, while others were refused, deferred, transferred, referred or denied in accordance with the Act.
“It is important for citizens to understand that in limited circumstances, public institutions have a legitimate right to keep some types and classes of information away from the general public,” Mr. Nkrumah said.
He intimated that the RTI Act, 2019 has clearly identified and classified some information as exempt which call for safeguards, including those related to public security or individual privacy.
“The RTI Commission, as an independent and impartial body, has been resourced to deal with any undue denials,” the minister stressed.
Mr. Nkrumah, who is also the MP for Ofoase Ayirebi, said the Act seeks to strengthen democracy, open governance, and sustainable development.
He noted that the Access to Information (ATI) Division was established within the Information Services Department to continuously provide back-end technical support to MDAs and the RTI officers across the country, and equip them to deliver on RTI obligations.
He revealed that the ATI Division had trained and posted 87 RTI officers to 87 public institutions so far.
“Though the remaining 452 institutions do not have RTI officers from the ATI Division resident and responding to requests, already available officers who handle other duties within these 452 institutions have been trained and designated as RTI officers to handle requests,” he said.
According to him, the RTI Commission has begun its regulatory and oversight functions in the year gone by, asserting that the commission operates from an office complex in Dzorwulu, Accra to serve as its headquarters.
BY Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House