Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and Judicial Training Institute adopt Right to Information Training Manual for Judges in Ghana
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Africa Office has collaborated with the Judicial Training Institute in Ghana to adopt the Right to Information (RTI) Training Manual for judges. The manual aims to provide judges with a theoretical and practical understanding of the RTI Act in order to execute their mandatory duties.
The manual consists of five modules, which include the concept of the Right to Information, the benefits of the Right to Information, the international and regional legal frameworks on the Right to Information, the principles underpinning the Right to Information, and the obligations of public institutions in promoting the Right to Information regime.
The manual will position the judiciary to review decisions made by public institutions when RTI requests are refused. Justice Kwaku Tawiah Ackaah Boafo, Justice of the Court of Appeal, stressed the importance of the judiciary in ensuring the smooth and effective implementation of the Right to Information Act. Justice Boafo further stated that the proper implementation of the Act would consolidate the country’s democratic governance.
Mrs Ogonna Okaigwe, an RTI consultant who took the judges through the manual, stated that the purpose was to provide a theoretical and practical understanding of the Act in executing their mandatory duties. The Coalition on the Right to Information Ghana and participants noted that the manual would facilitate greater participation in decision-making and ensure access to information in the country.
The RTI legislation was passed in Ghana in March 2019 to provide a framework for the implementation of the Right. Since the passage of the Act in 2019, the Ministry of Works and Housing and other agencies have adopted the Act and designed the same for implementation.
Justice I.O Tanko Amadu, Acting Director, Ghana Judicial Training Institute, stated that a well-equipped and informed judiciary is essential to curtailing failures by state actors in the discharge of their duties under the law. The judiciary has the duty to ensure that state machinery and policies do not infringe on fundamental rights, including those of marginalized groups.
In conclusion, the adoption of the RTI Training Manual for judges in Ghana will equip them with the necessary knowledge and tools to effectively execute their mandatory duties in the implementation of the Right to Information Act. It will also promote democratic governance and greater participation in decision-making, ensuring access to information in the country.