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IRMT no. 8 - Information for Accountability Workshop Increases Support for FOI in Ghana



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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