The Management Team of GRIDCo has received more education on how best to implement the Right to Information (RTI) Law. A delegation from the Right to Information Commission, led by Steven Owusu Esq., Head of Legal, Governance, Regulatory and Research explained key provisions of the RTI Law focusing on the role of the Information Officer, institutional compliance, and the exempt regime.

The RTI came into effect in January 2020 after presidential assent in 2019. The RTI Commission undertakes institutional sensitisation to enable organisations to understand the RTI law to improve transparency and deepen good governance.

Under Ghana’s RTI Law (Act 989), organisations are required to meet the following requirements:

  • Establish a Right to Information Unit headed by the Information Officer

  • Provide response to an RTI request within 14-Days.

    • If denied, appeal process can be activated via an “internal review”

  • Publish annually, an up-to-date manual, submit report to RTI

  • Any applicant requesting information must pay a fee approved by Parliament in accordance with the Fees and Charges Act of 2009

The exemption regime covers 10 areas, including:

  • Information submitted or prepared for submission to the President or the Vice President or Cabinet

  • Information, whose disclosure can reasonably affect international relations

  • Economic information and information of third parties
  • Privileged information

A person can apply for information without giving a reason for the application. However, if the info request is urgent, the applicant must state the reason for the urgency according to Act 1 subsection 4 of the RTI Law.