By Benjamin Akoto
Sunyani (Bono), May 26, GNA – Mr Stephen Owusu, Head of the Legal Unit at the Right to Information Commission, has called for intensified public sensitization and awareness creation on the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
He noted that many citizens remained unaware of the provisions of the law, stressing the need to deepen public education to improve awareness and understanding of the Act.
Speaking in an interview with the media in Sunyani on the sidelines of a working visit to the Bono Region, Mr. Owusu explained that increasing public awareness would enhance understanding and improve enforcement of the Act.
Mr. Owusu, together with Genevieve Shirley Lartey, Executive Secretary of the RTI Commission, and other key staff members, were in the region to familiarize themselves with the operations of the commission.
Earlier, the delegation paid a courtesy call on Joseph Addae Akwaboa, the Bono Regional Minister, and sought his support to strengthen the activities of the commission in the region.
Mr. Owusu emphasized that under the current legal framework, citizens had the right to walk into any public institution and request information.
“It is important for citizens to know that under the current legal framework, they can walk into any public institution and request information. This extends beyond strictly public institutions to private institutions that benefit from public funds or carry out public functions,” he stated.
He disclosed that the commission had already undertaken institutional sensitization exercises and intended to extend its public education campaigns to district and community levels.
According to him, since 2023, the RTI Commission had consistently carried out awareness campaigns, including outreach programmes in churches and mosques, to educate the public about the RTI Act.
Mr. Owusu explained that these campaigns were often intensified during August and September, designated annually as RTI Month.
Despite these efforts, he expressed concern that public understanding and use of the RTI Act remained low, stressing that more work needed to be done to increase awareness and utilization of the law.
On his part, Mr. Akwaboa commended the commission for establishing an office in the Bono Region and pledged his support for its activities.
He expressed confidence that with the necessary support, the commission’s regional office would make a significant impact.
Meanwhile, Osborn Adomako Akuoko, Bono Regional Head of the RTI Commission, highlighted logistical challenges confronting the office.
He explained that due to those constraints, the regional office had been unable to effectively extend its activities to the Bono East Region and Ahafo Region as expected.
GNA
Edited by Dennis Peprah/ Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Benjamin Akoto
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