Right To Information Commission at six

MONDAY, October 19, 2026, might have been observed the world over as the ‘Global Day for Ethics’, instituted by the Carnegie Council for Ethics to promote ethics in international affairs, AI, climate change and governance. The day is also observed as the end of the American Revolution when General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington to effectively end the American Revolutionary War.

To the religiously inclined, the significance of the day is the fact that it marks the Feast of Saints John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions, and St. Paul of the Cross in the Catholic calendar. To international political pundits, however, the significance of October 19 is borne out of the fact that it was on that day in 1960 that the US embargo on Cuba began.

In the political annals of Ghana, however, October 19 stands out as a day of great importance in the search for inclusive and transparent democracy. It was on that day, six years ago, that the Right To Information Commission was formally established to champion the promotion of free and unimpeded access to information by citizens of the country.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Ghana subscribes, forms part of the broader global human rights framework for transparency, accountability and democratic governance.

This right, in Africa, is enshrined under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), and encompassed in the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa (2019).

Ghana’s response to these international conventions on the right to access information, contained in Article 21(1)(f) of the 1992 Constitution, was the passage of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), by Parliament in March 2019.

The Right To Information Commission (RTIC) was thus established in October 2019 under Section 40 of the Act and given the authority under Section 41 to promote, monitor, protect and enforce the right of access to information in accordance with the law.

With the coming into being of the RTIC, the challenges citizens faced in accessing information have improved tremendously. Issues relating to the absence of structured processes and mechanisms encountered in the past by citizens in accessing information have generally been addressed by the Commission, which has, in the past six years, strengthened compliance, deepened public awareness, enforcement interventions, stakeholder engagements and capacity-building initiatives.

Applications and requests

Under the instrumentality of the Commission, a total of 819 applications for information were recorded in 2025. Public institutions processed 2,811 requests for information throughout the country.

Out of this, 1,905 requests, representing approximately 68 per cent, were fully approved, while 68 requests were partially granted, suggesting that while some information was disclosed, certain aspects were withheld based on applicable legal limitations.

The relatively increased proportion of approved and partially approved requests demonstrates enhanced acceptance of transparency obligations by public institutions to meet RTIC statutory obligations.

The Greater Accra Region stands out as the region with the highest compliance with RTIC regulations. Out of the total 819 applications received and 2,811 requests received throughout the country, the capital region recorded 731 applications, representing approximately 89 per cent, and 2,555 requests, representing 91 per cent.

The Ashanti Region follows with 30 applications and 82 requests, representing three per cent, followed by the Eastern Region with 22 applications and 65 requests.

The rest of the regions have relatively low returns, with the Oti and Western North regions recording no requests or applications.

Compliance/gender

It is pertinent to note that an assessment of institutional adherence to statutory response requirements indicates a generally high level of compliance under Section 23(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2019, which mandates Information Officers to respond to an application and serve a decision notice within 14 days of receipt of the application.

Gender-disaggregated statistics point to disparities in utilisation. Out of the total 819 applications received nationwide in the previous year, 615, representing about 75 per cent, were submitted by male applicants, while 204, representing 25 per cent, were submitted by female applicants.

RTIC/Judicial reviews

An important indicator of public confidence in the Commission’s dispute resolution and oversight functions is applications for reviews.

A total of 99 applications for review were received in 2025, with 20 applications brought forward from 2024, bringing the number to 119, out of which 57 have been successfully resolved by the Commission.

Legislative Instrument

The Commission is committed to the passage of the Legislative Instrument (LI) to fully operationalise the RTI Act.

The Commission had gone through all the necessary processes, including stakeholder engagements with relevant agencies, the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Subsidiary Legislation, but missed the regulations for their maturation before the previous Parliament was dissolved.

Efforts are far advanced to enable the passage of the LI during the tenure of the current 9th Parliament.

Survival

Despite the remarkable achievements in fostering access to information and the moderate performance of the Commission in the past six years, its major challenge has to do with the lack of adequate funding and resources.

The Government is doing its best in the face of competing national development demands. The RTIC is thus compelled to fall on institutions like Ghana Development Communities Association, Star-Ghana, International Republican Institute, GIZ, OGP-Brussels, Centre for Law and Democracy, the international community and the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for support.

No wonder the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Ms Genevieve Shirley Lartey, Esq., in a solemn message to mark the sixth anniversary on Monday, October 19, 2026, spoke of a “shared journey of service and renewal of our commitment to transparency, accountability and access to information in Ghana.”

BY KWEKU SERSAH JOHNSON

The writer is the Technical Advisor, Right To Information Commission.

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