Transparency International Ghana (TI-Ghana) has called for stronger enforcement of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and enhanced accountability mechanisms to support anti-corrupt
The report indicates that transparency International Ghana (TI-Ghana) has called for stronger enforcement of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and enhanced accountability mechanisms to support anti-corruption efforts and improve transparency in governance.
It further notes that the organisation stated weak implementation of existing legal and institutional frameworks continued to limit citizens’ access to public information and undermine efforts to combat corruption despite reforms adopted across Ghana and other African countries.
Mr Bright Sena Ayivi, Assistant Programmes Officer of TI-Ghana, made the call at a national advocacy engagement organised under the “Stopping Impunity for Corruption through Enhanced Accountability” (SICA) project in Accra.
He stated findings from a TI-Ghana study on the implementation of RTI frameworks in selected West African countries indicated persistent barriers to accessing public information, including information on high-profile corruption cases.
“As citizens, we often do not know what happens to corruption cases after investigations and prosecutions begin. This project seeks to build a database and a community of practice that will enable us to track such cases and ensure accountability,” he said.
The SICA project, being implemented by TI-Ghana in partnership with the Transparency International Secretariat in Berlin, seeks to establish a community of practice across 11 African countries to promote anti-corruption reforms, strengthen accountability systems and improve monitoring of high-level corruption cases.
Mr Ayivi stated the initiative was intended to address challenges in obtaining information on the progress and outcomes of corruption-related prosecutions while leveraging existing accountability mechanisms, particularly the RTI regime, to empower citizens to demand information and monitor government actions.
According to the study, corruption remained a major threat to development in the West African sub-region, underscoring the need for stronger transparency and accountability measures.
The study, which covered Ghana, Liberia and Togo, identified low public awareness of RTI laws as a key challenge, particularly among ordinary citizens and grassroots communities.
Mr Ayivi stated knowledge and use of the RTI law remained largely concentrated among civil society organisations, journalists and media practitioners.
Other challenges identified included bureaucratic resistance, administrative bottlenecks and delays in processing information requests.
Excessive bureaucracy and difficulties in navigating public institutions were found to discourage citizens from seeking information.
The study further identified fees associated with information requests as a barrier, especially for vulnerable and low-income citizens.
It also found that many public institutions failed to proactively disclose information, releasing it only after formal requests had been submitted.
