The Deputy Minister for Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, has stated that the Information Ministry is collaborating with the RTI Commission to ensure everyone, especially the media have access to information.
As part of the collaboration, she said the Ministry is supporting the RTI Commission with all logistics to ensure that whoever seeks information from MMDAs, Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the government will get it.
She said this at a forum to Commemorate the First Anniversary of the current GJA Administration, held in Accra on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, at the British Council.
Hosted by the GJA and supported by the ADB, the forum, dubbed,”Current Trends In Ghana’s Media Landscape” brought stakeholders on board to identify and address issues confronting the practice of journalism in the country.
The stakeholders spoke on topics including ‘Media ownership; Challenges and Prospects’, New Media versus Traditional Media; Issues of ethics and professionalism, and ‘An assessment of the Criminal Law on False news and its application in Ghana’.
Speaking on the rights to information, Fatimatu Abubakar advised that if someone goes to any agency or department for information and is denied, they should report it to the RTI Commission, explaining that the Commission will investigate and ensure that the information is given to whoever seeks it.
For the Institutions that do not comply with the implementation of the RTI and help with information, she said they will be taken to court for the law to deal with them.
Fatimatu Abubakar recalled that the Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah is embarking on a campaign dubbed, “Verify First” which requires people to verify information before putting it out there, urging all journalists to ensure that whatever information they put out there are facts.
Aside from pushing for the “Verify First” campaign, she said the Ministry is also pushing for all advocacies that will support the well-being and security of journalists.
For his part, the Executive Secretary of the RTI Commission, Mr Yaw Sarpong Boateng complained that journalists are not using the RTI law as they called for its passage.
He encouraged media practitioners to read and know more about the law to use it, warning that if they do not use the law, it will be dormant.
He also noted that if journalists do not read and know more about the law, they will not be able to use it in their quest to get information.
Mr Yaw Sarpong Boateng also called on the GJA to organise training for journalists about the RTI law moving forward and also called for the training of persons in charge of information at public agencies or institutions so that they will not restrict people from getting information.