Ghana

Name of law: Right to Information Act, 2019
First adopted: 2019
Last modified: n/a
RTI Rating last updated: n/a

Introduction

Ghana took over 20 years of advocacy to adopt an RTI law, and finally did so only in 2019. The strength of the law is fair, and will likely be improved by regulations once they are finally adopted. A major weakness is its narrow scope, as the law only applies to some offices of the executive. Another problem is the presence of illegitimate exceptions, along with others that are not harm-tested, although there is a broad public interest override. The law provides for an internal and external appeals structure, with an administrative Commission that has a reasonably strong mandate to require public institutions to take steps necessary to comply with the Act. To supplement this, the law also provides for sanctions for both individuals and public authorities which systematically fail to disclose information or underperform in their obligations under the law. The Commission also has broad promotional and educational responsibilities for right-holders and public authorities officials respectively, leading to a strong score in the area of promotional measures.