By the end of this year, applicants for information using the Right To Information (RTI) Act can do that digitally, the Minister of Information has said.
In a statement on the floor of Parliament on Friday, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the successfully developed Online Records Management System (ORMS) would enable applicants to apply for information online, aid information officers in keeping accurate records, and improve application response times.
“This unique platform, which has been developed in accordance with Section 18 of the RTI Act, 2019, will not only digitise the application and processing of RTI requests but will also transform records management across public institutions in the country.
“The ORMS is expected to be in full operation by the end of the year 2023. The Ministry of Information will provide an update on its operationalisation in our 2023 annual report,” he said.
Other focal areas for the implementation of the Act for the year 2023, Mr Nkrumah said would include the presentation of the Legislative Instrument for the RTI Act, 2019 to Parliament.
“The initial draft has been prepared by the RTI Commission and stakeholder consultations are currently ongoing,” he said.
Field offices, Mr Nkrumah, MP, Ofoase Ayirebi said would be opened in Kumasi and Sunyani this year by the RTI Commission to bring its services closer to the people in those areas.
He said subject to the availability of funds, the population of the outstanding 333 public institutions with information officers would be executed with continuous public sensitisation campaigns.
Giving an account of how many requests for information have been received and granted, the minister said out of the 783 requests received, 669, representing 85.44 per cent were approved by the information officers of the various public institutions.
Reasons for the rejection of the 36 requests, he explained were because of exemption and information not in the custody of the public institution.
According to him, 21 of the requests received, representing 2.68 per cent, were transferred to relevant institutions.
“The number of referred applications was 37, representing 4.73 per cent, and the number of applications deferred was 11, representing 1.40 per cent of the total applications. Out of the 36 applications that were rejected by the information officers, 12 review applications were processed for internal reviews.
“The respective heads of institutions dealt with the review applications from the dissatisfied applicants. Of these applications for review, 10 were granted, representing 83 per cent of the review applications and the number of reviews dismissed was two. Mr Speaker, this is evidence that the internal reviews are being properly conducted.”
Notwithstanding the successes chalked since the passage of the RTI Act, the minister said its implementation has been bedevilled with challenges; chiefly among them financial and logistical, human resource, and bureaucratic practices by the institutions.
In the ensuing years, it is imperative that the budgetary allocations for the RTI Commission and the Access To Information Division are shored up to enable them to function effectively.
“Additionally, Mr Speaker, financial clearance needs to be provided as a matter of urgency to enable the RTI Commission to complete the recruitment of its full complement of staff and for the ATI Division to populate the outstanding 333 public institutions with information officers to ensure full compliance with the Act.”
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
