(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release: ARTICLE 19 today published an analysis of the draft Right to Information Bill of the Republic of Ghana. ARTICLE 19 welcomes the draft Law and regards it as a positive step to advance freedom of expression and information in Ghana. The draft Law contains […]
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release:
ARTICLE 19 today published an analysis of the draft Right to Information Bill of the Republic of Ghana. ARTICLE 19 welcomes the draft Law and regards it as a positive step to advance freedom of expression and information in Ghana. The draft Law contains some of the key elements needed in an effective freedom of information law, including an obligation to publish, procedures for accessing information held by government agencies and also by private bodies, time limits for disclosing information, a right to amend personal records held by government agencies, protection from liability for persons who release information in the event that they believe in good faith that the release is permitted or required by the draft Law, and obligations on government agencies to keep track of and to make available data relating to the information requests they have received from the public.
There are, however, areas in which the draft Law could be considerably improved. For example, it contains a number of problematic exceptions, and the exceptions regime generally is not sufficiently sensitive to the public interest. The appeals system provides for independent review too late in the process and is likely to be prohibitively expensive for many persons seeking to assert their rights under the law. There is also no protection for whistleblowers. The Memorandum details these and other concerns.
The Memorandum can be found at http://www.article19.org/docimages/1698.doc
