Parliament expected To Pass RTI Bill Into Law Today

The Parliament of Ghana is expected to pass the Right to Information Bill into law today, Tuesday March 26, 2019 after almost two decades.

The House last Friday (March, 22, 2019) concluded consideration of the Bill which saw resentment from Members of Parliament.

After the adoption of the amendment, the Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu indicated that the RTI Bill would be read the third time and passed into law today.

He said: “The Minister [sponsoring the Bill] had indicated to me that it was going to pass it [RTI] through the second consideration stage and once you do that, the third reading will be done next week.

“So if it is possible, we will certainly take the second consideration on the RTI Bill today [Friday] and close the chapter on the consideration stage and pave the way for the third reading to be done next week Tuesday,” he added.

The bill has spent nearly two decades before parliament. It was first drafted in 1999 under President Jerry John Rawlings.

Various advocacy groups emerged to press for the immediate passing of the bill into law in 2002, but it was reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

President Nana Akufo-Addo has reaffirmed his commitment to the Bill during his 2019 State of the Nation address.

“I am happy to state that, as you know, Parliament has virtually completed its deliberations on the Right to Information Bill, and that, any moment from now, the nation will hear the news of its passage. I will, happily, give my assent to it as soon as it is brought to my table,” he said.