RTI Commission Demands Annual Report

The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has directed all public institutions to submit their annual reports.

Public institutions are enjoined under Section 77 of the RTI Act to submit reports annually to the Commission.

Section 77(1) of the ACT states that “A public institution shall, within sixty days after the 31st of December each year, submit a written report on the activities of the public institution under this Act during the preceding year to the Commission.”

The report must include: the number of applications for information during the reporting period; the number of applications approved and the number rejected together with the reasons for the rejection; the number of reviews requested, the number granted and the number dismissed together with reasons; and the number of applications to the Court Koi judicial review and the results of the reviews, if any.

These information will be delivered to Parliament mid-year.

In June 2022, GBN reported that the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, reported to Parliament that 189 public institutions submitted their 2021 annual reports on Right to Information (RTI).

His data as presented by the new portal indicated that 247 requests for information were received and processed in 65 public institutions, with the Department of Children receiving the highest number of requests for information (34 requests).

He said out of that, 64 per cent (159) of requests received, were granted while others were refused, deferred, transferred, referred, or denied in accordance with the RTI Act.

The RTI Commission in a press release said failure to comply with the dircetive by any institutions will call for a penalty.

Public institutions are to submit their reports by March 1, 2023.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini