Cabinet okays RTI; Bill set to be sent to Parliament this week

Parliament to deliberate on RTI Bill this week

The Right To Information (RTI) Bill will be sent to Parliament this week for debate and approval.

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Gloria Akuffo and the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu are said to be feverishly pushing for the Bill to be laid before the House rises this Friday, March 23.

The RTI bill, which is expected to help citizens and Civil Society Organizations and the Special Prosecutor to fight corruption, has been in and out of parliament for the past 15 years since it was first laid in 2003.

Addressing the Norway-Ghana Business and Investment Forum in Accra Monday, March 19, Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, has announced the revised Bill has been approved by Cabinet.

“Cabinet has given approval for the Right to Information Bill to be laid in Parliament for debate and approval because it is very critical that we pass the Right to Information Bill...It is our hope that this will be an additional feather in our cup in the fight against corruption,” Dr. Bawumia said.

The Vice President added that: "Since coming into office, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has deployed some bold initiatives aimed at curbing the corruption menace in order to assure the investing public of the safety of their investments.”

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Independence Day told Ghanaians that he will facilitate the laying of the bill in parliament before the House rises.

He, however, is under pressure from civil society groups as the nothing had been heard with only five days left for the legislators to rise.

A group of campaigners on Monday hit the streets of Accra distributing flyers to push for the bill to be laid before Parliament after it mounted pressure on the government to fulfil the President's promise.

"The president must do all he can to ensure that this bill goes to parliament, the people of Ghana will begin to take him seriously...and all the rhetoric accompanied with speeches on anti-corruption will be taken seriously," Mary Adda, Programmes Manager at Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) told Daniel Dadzie, host of the Super Morning Show on Joy FM Monday.