By Iddi Yire
Accra, Dec 16, GNA – Parliament on Friday approved the sum of GHC18.08 million for the services of the Right to Information Commission for the year ending 31st December, 2023.
In 2022, the Right to Information Commission was initially allocated an amount of GHS18.01 million, which was later revised to GHS16.92 million during the Mid-Year Budget Review.
As at the end of September, 202 an amount of GHS12.23 had been released to the Commission.
The core functions of the Commission are to issue written orders requesting for the production of information; and examine, reproduce, take extracts from or hold information for unlimited periods, including information found in any premises entered pursuant to an inspection conducted by the Commission in the performance of the monitoring function of the Commission.
Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, who moved the motion for the approval of the budgetary estimate for the commission, said the general challenge facing the Right to Information Commission in the years gone by was revenue mobilisation.
He however noted that, looking at the 2023 Budget, for example to the lowering of threshold for some of the revenue handles, it was expected that revenues would perform better.
He said the Ministry would ensure that the Commission achieved its mandate as established by law.
Mr Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Asante Akim Central, said the Commission informed the Committee that the rent agreement for its current office accommodation expired on the 17th of August, 2023, and an amount of GHS1.5 million was required to renew the rent.
He said the committee noted that the said amount was even more than the entire One Million Ghana Cedis allocation for goods and services for the 2023 financial.
He said in search of sustainable solution to the any problem, the commission indicated to the committee that there were ongoing discussions with the Ministry of Information to cede part of its office building to accommodate the Commission.
Mr Antwi said the committee recommended to the Minister of Information to take a personal interest and facilitate the discussion to ensure that the commission secured a more permanent office accommodation and also save on the state annual rent payments.
“Mr Speaker, the Committee having carefully scrutinized the estimates of the Right to Information Commission, is satisfied that the programmes outlined for the year, would go a long way to promote right to information which is cardinal to participatory, inclusive, transparent, accountable and open governance,” he stated.
Mr Bernard Ahiafor, the Ranking Member, Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Akatsi South, appealed to the Ministry of Finance to ensure that during the supplementary budget, adequate amounts of funds should be allocated to the Right to Information Commission to enable them perform their duties as required by law.
GNA