The Governing Board of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission, have called on the management of Citi FM and Citi TV.
The delegation, led by Yaw Sarpong Boateng, the Executive Secretary of the RTI Commission, interacted with the station’s news leadership on the importance of the Right to Information Law to the work of the media in particular, and access to information generally by all Ghanaians.
Speaking after the meeting, he assured that the RTI Law would not “become one of the dormant laws that this country will have.”
Mr. Boateng also said the Commission hopes to work with the media to ensure the effective implementation of the law.
“We also call on you the media to make sure you become one of the prime users of this law. That way, we all ensure that it doesn’t become one of the laws that just remains on our books.”
The Right to Information (RTI) Bill, was first drafted in 1999, and eventually passed into law in 2019 after consistent civil society pressure on the executive and the legislature.
The Right to Information Act establishes the Right to Information Commission which put together an administrative and operational framework for the smooth implementation of the law.
The Executive Secretary said the Commission exists to facilitate easy access to information by all applicants.
He urged the media to acquaint themselves with the operations of the Commission and in turn educate the Ghanaian public on its importance to transparency, accountability and development.
He said the Commission was fully independent and cannot be subjected to any governmental control.
In terms of payment for access to Information, he explained that the charges are not meant for profit, and that they would be fairly calculated as expected to be spelt out by the law to ensure that people are not discouraged from accessing information.
He said the amount to be paid will not be for the processes and time an institution goes through to make the documents available to an applicant, but rather for the cost of merely printing the material among others.
According to him, applicants who feel dissatisfied with the charges and the general processes in their quest to access information can officially file a complaint to the Commission and receive a fair hearing, which comes at a cheaper cost than choosing the option of going to court as happened recently in the legal tussle between the Media Foundation for West Africa, MFWA, and the National Communications Authority, NCA.
He noted that the Commission has the powers to compel institutions to release information to applicants where the information is not restricted and an applicant has met all the requirements.
He said the Commission’s core functions include the promotion of people’s right to access information, which will involve a massive sensitisation drive nationwide to awaken all stakeholders about their existence and the important role they play in promoting transparency, accountability and national development through access to information.
The General Manager of Citi FM and Citi TV, and Host of the Citi Breakfast Show, Bernard Avle, thanked the Commission for considering the media House as a relevant stakeholder in the implementation of the law, and pledged the media house’s support in pushing the agenda.
He also acknowledged the importance of the law and the RTI Commission to the work of the media, and said the organisation will take advantage of the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of the law and the operations of the Commission, and make good use of it in its work.
Head of News at Citi FM and Citi TV, Mrs. Vivian Kai Lokko, Head of Television, Richard Mensah, Sports Editor, Fentuo Tahiru, and Online Editor, Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie, engaged the RTI Commission team alongside the General Manager and Host of the Citi Breakfast Show and The Point of View, Mr. Bernard Avle.
The RTI Commission, inaugurated by President Akufo-Addo in October 2020, is chaired by Mr. Justice K.A. Ofori-Atta, a retired High Court Judge, with its Executive Secretary being Mr. Yaw Sarpong Boateng, a lawyer, who is responsible for coordinating the administrative activities of the Commission.
Other members of the Board are Mrs. Elizabeth Asare (Deputy Chairperson), Ms. Victoria D. E. Susuawu (Member), Dr. Edith Dankwa ((Member), Nana Kwame Duah (Member), and Mr. David Oppon-Kusi (Member).