For ghana, the rti bill is generally solid, but there are some particular issues to which attention must be paid in preparing for and in. Start a free trial now to save yourself time and money. Journal of computingghanas right to information bill. Jul 19, 2019 the right to information amendment bill, 2019 was introduced in lok sabha by the minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions, mr.
Ghanas parliament has passed into law the right to information, rti, bill, as at tuesday evening according to an influential local media outlet. As far back as 1999, ghanas institute of economic affairs iea drafted an rti bill for ghana. Ghana president assents to right to information bill africanews. The ghana right to information bill, 2010 news ghana. And productive information is the official public information relating to the business of government. Provision for the maintenance of children is made in the childrens act, 1998 act 560 and the forum for a child maintenance order is a family tribunal. After 20 years of tsaskele, parliament finally pass right to information bill.
Jun 12, 2018 the centre for law and democracy cld has released an analysis of ghanas 2018 right to information bill, which is now before parliament. Under the provisions of rti act, any citizen of india may request information from a public authority a body of government or instrumentality of state which is required to reply. Although there has been a long campaign by civil society to ensure adoption of the access to information law, its important to recall that the passage of an act is just the first step in a change in societal and administrative culture that the right of access to information implies. Right to information ccri nepal right to information. Ghana parliament passes right to information law after long. Ghana committee approves right to information bill. Ghana president assents to right to information bill africa. To give effect to this provision, ghana has begun to take steps. Rti has proven to be very useful, but is counteracted by the whistle blowers protection act, 2011. A critique of the draft right to information bill, ghana the constitution of ghana, 1992 is one of the few constitutions of the world that guarantees a fundamental right to information1. Ghana is about to enact a right to information law now the right to information bill to provide a legal framework for making public sector information accessible to the public.
An act to amend the right to information act, 2005. To give effect to this provision, ghana has begun to take steps in promulgating the right to information law now the information bill to provide a legal and. The importance of ghana adopting a right to information. Despite this early start, ghana has still not managed to adopt an rti law. Article 19 1 says that every citizen has freedom of speech and expression. The preamble indicates that the rti bill is meant for implementing the right to information held by a government agency. Akufoaddo assents to rti bill ghana homepage, resource for. Home the right to information law ghana rti law 2019, act 989. Ghana parliament passes right to information law after. The bill was finally sent to the parliament in 2010, but the thrust to get the bill passed swelled in 2017. This comment contains article 19s analysis of the draft right to information bill of ghana draft bill, which has been prepared by the government. Citizens campaign for right to information ccri is a nonprofiteering, nonpartisan and nonpolitical nongovernment organization which is dedicated and has been working for the promotion and protection of right to information in nepal. However, state governments have passed various rti rules, which have prescribed specific format of rti application. The right to information bill 2007 of ghana a critique and recommendations for improvement submitted by commonwealth human rights initiative peoples right to access information has gained wide recognition as an indispensable feature of a functional democracy.
Jul 01, 2019 home the right to information law ghana rti law 2019, act 989. Consequently, we invite applications from qualified ghanaians for the positions listed as rti officers key responsibilities provide support in compiling and publishing and maintaining uptodate. Anybody can apply to any government agency or body for access to information, according to the right under the right to information bill. May 21, 2019 20190521 president nana addo dakwa akufoaddo has assented to the right to information rti bill which was approved by parliament on 26 march 2019. However, if the right to information law ril is enacted, ghana will join the ranks of the eleven countries to have passed the law and further improve her rankings in the. Right to information rti bill passed into law graphic. Ghana president assents to right to information bill. Information in the 21 st century has become the heart, cornerstone and an important resource to most governments around the world. Right to information amendment bill, 2019 rti act 2005. However, the ghana right to information bill currently before parliament is very weak in this direction and could take more than half a year in certain situations before a request for information. Right to information is a part of fundamental rights under article 19 1 of the constitution. Fill out, securely sign, print or email your ghana electricity bill template form instantly with signnow.
These rules require the applicant to submit request for information in the prescribed format only. The right to information is enshrined in ghanas 1992 constitution but, for many years, the country has struggled to pass the rti law. It replaced the former freedom of information act, 2002. Right to information rti bill passed into law graphic online. A parliamentary committee in ghana has advanced an amended right to information bill for consideration by the full parliament.
The importance of ghana adopting a right to information act. Issued by the right to information coalition the coalition on the right to information, ghana has noted with great concern his excellency john dramani mahamas comments on ghanas right to information rti bill in an interview on dw tv political talk show called conflict zone on october 7, 2015. The right to information act 2005 commonly known as rti is an act of the parliament of india to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities, in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority. Pass the rti bill into law now ghana homepage, resource. A critique of the draft right to information bill, ghana. Model freedom of information bill \ 5 model freedom of information bill an act to give members of the public rights of access to official documents of the government and public authorities and to provide for connected matters. The bill which has gone through the hands of six parliaments under the fourth republic, seeks to give the public the power to demand information from state institutions. Introduction this memorandum analyses the draft right to information bill of the republic of ghana draft law. The right to information is enshrined in ghana s 1992 constitution but, for many years, the country has struggled to pass the rti law. Freedom of information bill official gazette of the. Oct 16, 2011 in the bill, anybody including noncitizens has the right to apply to access information as stated in article 21 1 f of the 1992 constitution of ghana. As far back as 1999, ghana s institute of economic. Bearing in mind the civil society campaign of many years for adoption of.
The right to information amendment bill, 2019 prsindia. For ghana, the rti bill is generally solid, but there are. All government agencies are required to prepare a freedom of information manual that will contain details and procedures and serve as a guide on the matter. Parliament of ghana has on tuesday 26th march, 2019 passed the right to information bill rti into law after two decades of waiting. The analysis welcomes the fact that ghana is finally moving forward to adopt this key piece of democratic legislation. Ghana committee approves right to information bill freedom info. Clause 37on the other hand grants a person who claims an interest in property seized under this bill, the right to apply to the court within thirty days after the date of seizure for an order that the property be returned to that person. Right to information bill ghana pdf provide a precis of the work that chri has been doing in ghana on rti issues. Mar 26, 2019 parliament of ghana has on tuesday 26th march, 2019 passed the right to information bill rti into law after two decades of waiting.
Fillable utility bill template esign pdf with electronic. Ghanas parliament has passed into law the right to information, rti, bill, as at tuesday evening according to an influential local media outlet, the multimedia group. The draft law was prepared by the department of the attorney general and. The most secure digital platform to get legally binding, electronically signed documents in just a few seconds. The right to information amendment bill, 2019 that amends the right to information act, 2005 was introduced in lok sabha today. The committee accepted many of the changes proposed by. A good right to information law should not only make such information available, but more, make it accessible to citizens. In addition to the data below, the links at the bottom of this page will provide you with more information. Be it enacted by parliament in the seventieth year of the republic of india as follows.
Article 21f of the ghanaian constitution guarantees every person the right to. Rti act, 2005 enacted by the central government does not provide any specific format of rti application. The government of ghana, through the ministry of information, will commence the implementation of the righttoinformation act 2019 from 1st january, 2020. Right to information rti bill passed into law sankofa radio. Ghana is about to enact a right to information law now the right to information bill to provide a legal framework for making public sector information accessible. Sep 29, 2018 the ghana center for democratic development cdd ghana is very much concerned that, ghana is still struggling to pass the right to information bill after two decades of initiating the process. It seeks to amend the right to information act, 2005. It is intended to enable citizens to easily access information about public programs and services, while also promoting. Moreover, the bill should reinforce the ghana public records and archives administration act, which requires public bodies to maintain records.
The minister responsible for justice is empowered under clause 77 to make regulations for the effective implementation of the bill in consultation with the board. The minister of information, mr kojo oppong nkrumah, moved the motion for third reading and seconded by the national democratic congress ndc member of parliament mp for tamale central and ranking member on the constitutional, legal and. It is also geared at fostering transparency and accountability in the governance process. Central rti act, 2005 does not provide any specific format of rti application. Even though rti is a fundamental right, still we need rti act to give us this right.
Analysis of right to information bill centre for law. The right to information bill, rti has finally been passed by parliament in act. A right to information activist says parliaments delay in passing the right to information bill for ghanaian citizens may be due to politicians misconstruing of the law as one for the media and their fear that it will give too much power to the media. The bill is not intended to deal with the property rights between parents and children. Republic of ghana in africa, ghana ranks 24th by size out of 54 countries, 14th by population and th by population. The preamble indicates that the rti bill is meant for implementing the right to. It is the responsibility of the government to make available general information on governance and any person applying for information may do so. After about two decades of waiting, parliament on tuesday passed the right to information bill rti into law. Ghana parliament passes right to information law after long delays. This right has been recognised in many international instruments and is seen not just a facet of the right to freedom of speech and.
Model freedom of information bill the commonwealth. Right to information,right to information act 2005,right to. Rti officers at ministry of information jobs in ghana. On may 21, president nana akufoaddo of ghana gave accent to the right to information act rti that was passed by parliament on march 26 this law grants citizens the right to seek, access and receive information from public bodies. The bill is meant to put in effect, article 21 1 f of the 1992 constitution of the republic of ghana which states that all persons shall have the right to information. The bill integrates open data provisions, which mandates a regular and proactive release of government data in open and machinereadable formats. Right to information denotes the right to request and obtain information of public importance held in public agencies. Clause 76 mandates an authorised officer to keep information received in the performance of functions under this bill confidential unless otherwise authorised. The bill is meant to put in effect, article 21 1 f of the 1992 constitution of the republic of ghana which states that all persons shall have the right to information subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society. Be it enacted by the parliament of name of country as follows. The right to information bill also, while providing prin cipled ways backed by law for citizens and others to obtain information from government agencies, in some respects provid e. What is right to information right to information wiki. Constitution and other laws of ghana, there is no specific definition of national.
May 22, 2019 the right to information is enshrined in ghanas 1992 constitution but, for many years, the country has struggled to pass the rti law. The focus of the bill is the property rights of spouses as defined in the bill. This is because if you went to any government department and told the officer there. Analysis of ghanas right to information bill centre for law and. An option paperzero draft introduction the ghana right to information bill, 2010 seeks to provide for the implementation of the right to information guaranteed under article 211f of the. Right to information codifies a fundamental right of the citizens of india. Right to information law not for media alone coalition. Right to information amendment bill, 2019 rti act 2005, current affairs 2019 by veer talyan. The right to information amendment bill, 2019 was introduced in lok sabha by the minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions, mr. Right to information rti is an act of the parliament of india which sets out the rules and procedures regarding citizens right to information. The right to information amendment bill, 2019 a bill to amend the right to information act, 2005. Office of information commissioner report to the queensland legislative assembly no.
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