Media urged to intensify advocacy for passage Bill

Mr Mohammed Mumuni, Team Leader for SEND-GHANA, has called on the media to be the lead advocate for the legislature to pass the Right To Information (RTI) Bill into law.

He said everybody was entitled to the right to access information from public institutions to contribute to the development of the nation, and stressed the need for the media to intensify advocacy for the passage of the Bill.

He made the call in Tamale on Tuesday at an event organized by SEND Ghana to engage the media in a form of sensitisation on the RTI Bill.

The event was aimed at equipping the media with information on the RTI Bill, so as to use such information for effective advocacy.

Mr Mumuni said the passage of the Bill was crucial since it would enhance transparency and accountability in the public institutions, which called for the need for the media and civic societies to join forces to push for the Bill to be passed into law.

Mr Adam Baani, Resource Person, Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), said the RTI Bill if passed would help fight against corruption in the country and added that the Bill must be extended to enable the public to access information from private institutions.

He urged the media to educate the public on the relevance of the RTI Bill to promote its passage.

Mr Zakaria Mahama, Northern Regional RTI Coalition Coordinator, said the Bill would ensure proper record keeping and efficiency in both private and public institutions’ administrations, which needed to be passed into law.