The Minister of Information and Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Hon. Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah on 10th May, 2023 paid a working visit to the Right to Information Commission ( “The Commission”) to ascertain thus far, the progress of the Commission in the implementation of the Right to Information law, 2019 (Act 989).
The Commission, led by its Board Chairman, Justice (Rtd) K. A. Ofori-Atta and other members of the board including the Executive Secretary of the Commission, welcomed the Minister.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng Esq. briefed the Minister on the progress made by the Commission since its establishment.
Emphasising on the progress of the Commission, the Executive Secretary outlined the following:
The recruitment of staff for the Commission. The Commission has so far sensitized Ten (10) out of the Sixteen (16) regions in the country as well as some Public Institutions and relevant Private Bodies.
The Commission plans of opening Regional offices for the Bono and Ashanti Regions which is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2023.
The Commission has participated in International Conference of Information Commissioners, the Executive Secretary Yaw Sarpong Boateng Esq. being elected as an Executive Member of the African Network of Information Commissions.
The various determinations of the Commission and administrative penalties imposed on institutions that are not in compliance with Act 989 and the Commission’s orders among others.
Mr. Yaw Sarpong Boateng indicated that the Commission, in its quest to be flexible and not make things too complex, has employed the use Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms to settle some cases that has come before it.
Yaw Sarpong Boateng Esq., further indicated that the Attorney General’s Department issued a fiat for the Commission to have prosecutorial powers to enable it prosecute offences under Act 989. To this end, the Commission in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Department trained some staff to undertake the role as prosecutors.
The Minister was enthused with the work of the Commission and commended the governing board and management of the Commission for such an impressive output.
The Minister was accompanied by Dr. Nafisa Mahama, Head of Access To Information(ATI) Division and other staff of the Ministry of Information.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com
