Make information accessible to public – President Akufo-Addo urges MMDAs

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged public officials not to withhold information but to share it freely with the public.

“Our government ministries, departments and agencies must proactively make information available not just in response to requests, but as a matter of course.

“I am proud to say that the nation has made great strides in this direction. From the digitisation of public services to the creation of open data platforms, we are working to ensure that the walls of bureaucracy no longer stand in the way of information flow. But we must acknowledge that more remains to be done,” he said.

Nana Akufo-Addo said access to information must be embedded in institutional operations rather than having it merely as a piece of legislation.

This was contained in a speech read on behalf of the President, by the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, at the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2024 conference in Accra yesterday.

Event

The two-day global conference, which forms part of the commemoration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, is on the theme: “Mainstreaming access to information and participation in the public sector.”

The conference highlights the critical role of access to data, which includes statistics, datasets, reports, research findings, and any data collected or generated by public bodies and other relevant private institutions.

They would also discuss how to facilitate access to information and uphold universal access.

It is being organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Government of Ghana (GoG).

It is the first time the conference is being hosted by an African country, a significant testament to Ghana’s progress in promoting the right to information.

Attendees include the Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar; the Minister of Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah; the Deputy British High Commissioner to Ghana, Kelth McMahon, and the Assistant Director-General in charge of Communication and Information at UNESCO, Tawfik Jelassi, among other delegates selected from various countries across the world.

There was a symbolic handover ceremony between Ghana, the current host, and Britain, the 2023 host.

Commitment

President Akufo-Addo further said that the commitment of the government in ensuring access to information was not an afterthought, but a priority in every public sector reform.

He said that mainstream access to information was to transform the culture of governance from a mindset of secrecy to openness, including ensuring that civil servants understood their duty was not only performing tasks behind closed doors, but also engaging the public in a manner that fostered trust and collaboration.

“We must empower our citizens not only with information but with the avenues to make their voices heard.

“That is why alongside the Right to Information Act, we have worked to strengthen local governance, decentralised decision-making and created platforms for public consultations,” he said.

To ensure access to information was mainstream in public institutions, the Information Minister said the government had embarked on a number of initiatives and mentioned GhanaToday.gov.gh, managed by the Information Services Department, as one of such initiatives.

She also said that the government would soon introduce an online records management system (ORMS) to provide a convenient means for the public to submit right to information (RTI) applications to public institutions.

Ms Abubakar said in the age of misinformation and disinformation, media literacy had become more important than ever, adding that her outfit had rolled out media literacy and public education programmes to equip citizens to be able to navigate the complexities of today’s digital information landscape.

Focus

For his part, Mr Jelassi said the focus of this year’s conference was the need for comprehensive and free access to public information across all levels of government.

He said access to information was a right that should be provided by all public entities.

“Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the Model Law on Access to Information for Africa. In 2010, only five African countries had ATI laws in place; today, that number has grown to 29,” Mr Jelassi said.