IRMT PRESS RELEASE
17 November 2000
Information for Accountability Workshop Increases
Support
for Freedom of Information in Ghana
Gaining access to government information is recognised as a major challenge
in Ghana. The Ghana Integrity Initiative (the local chapter of
Transparency International) and the International Records Management Trust,
Rights and Records Institute held a two-day workshop on Information for
Accountability in Accra 30-31 August 2000. The draft Right to Information
‘Bill’ published by the Institute of Economic Affairs served as the
focus for discussion. The proceedings may be downloaded from
http://www.irmt.org/index2.html.
In the opening keynote speech, the Honourable John Mahama, Minister for
Communications made clear that the government is not averse to a Freedom of
Information Bill. He stated that:
It is my hope that a comprehensive look will be paid to removing
all the hindrances preventing free flow of information, including
strengthening the capacity of public institutions to generate, preserve and
retrieve information in a timely manner. If there issues are not
addressed we may successfully pass a Freedom of Information bill, but find
out that there is no free information to be given.
The workshop brought together Members of Parliament, senior civil servants,
and representatives of the legal profession, the media, academia and public
interest groups to look at the applicability of Freedom of Information
legislation as a solution to providing greater transparency and encouraging more
equitable government. The participants scrutinised the draft Right to
Information ‘Bill’ and identified key administrative changes needed
to improve the delivery of information to the public. All agreed on the
need for FOI to strengthen the participation of citizens in government.
The workshop was held at the British Council auditorium in Accra on August
30 and 31. The World Bank Danish Trust Fund for Governance, the British
Council Ghana and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy sponsored the
event.
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If
you want to know more about the Information for Accountability Workshops, please
contact:
Piers Cain
Director
Rights and Records
Institute
International Records Management Trust
12 John Street
London
WC1N 2EB, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7831 4101
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7831
7404
Email:
pcain@irmt.org http://www.irmt.org