Ghana's Right to Information Act and public sector information accessibility

Abstract

Over the past five years, numerous nations around the globe, including the United Kingdom (UK) and India, have initiated legislative initiatives aimed at formally creating and enforcing a fundamental entitlement for their citizenry, the right to information and public sector information accessibility. In 2019, Ghana adopted a legislation that mandates public entities to make information easily accessible to the public and interested stakeholders. This study adopted a documentary approach to explain the politics surrounding the passing of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill based on the punctuated equilibrium model and a comparative analysis of the right to information access in the UK, India, and Ghana. After three years of advocacy, Ghana's RTI Act witnessed mixed results regarding open governance (transparency and accountability). To fully utilize the potential of the RTI Law for the benefit of its citizens and the promotion of its overall development goal, Ghana must continue cultivating a culture of transparency and good governance.

Keywords

Accountability Constitution Ghana Punctuated equilibrium in social theory Right to information Right to Information Commission Right to Information Law Subsystem Transparency

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