President Akufo-Addo says the passing of the Right to Information (RTI) bill into law will ensure transparency in government.
The President said this at Jubilee House today May 21, 2019, when he signed the Right to Information bill into law.
"Contributing to good governance is to provide for the implementation of the RTI, if properly applied it will it enhance the quality of governance in our country and provide a critical tool in the fight against corruption, I am glad this law has finally been passed," he said.
The President had earlier announced on Twitter that he will be signing RTI into law today and he has honoured his promise.
Right to Information bill was finally passed by Parliament after 17 years of relentless campaigns by local rights groups.
The bill passed into law by President Akufo-Addo will take effect from January 2020.
In March this year, Parliament passed the Right to Information (RTI) Bill into law. The Right to Information Bill was passed following the completion of its consideration stage after several policy changes, amendments and months of rigorous debates on the Floor of the House.
The RTI Bill had been in Parliament for close to two decades despite calls from the media and civil society groups for its passage.
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) promised during the 2016 election campaign to pass the Bill if it won power.
The RTI Bill was first drafted in 1999, reviewed in 2003, 2005 and 2007 but was only presented to Parliament in 2010 and was not passed by that Parliament that ended on January 6, 2013 and the subsequent one from January 7, 2013 to January 6, 2017.
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