An anti-corruption campaigner, Mr. Vitus Azeem has hinted that lack of standardized operational mechanism for the RTI Law will frustrate Ghanaians and create a more evasive attitude for public institutions and officials regarding accountability.
Speaking to Zylofon FM’s Noel Nutsugah on the Statecraft, Mr.Azeem stated that the court ruling in favor of the National Communication Authority (NCA) to charge Media Foundation For West Africa GHS 1,500 instead of GHS 2,000 for information of the radio stations that were closed was unprogressive.
Mr. Vitus is also displeased with the $1,000 charge the Minerals Commission is requesting from the MFWA regarding the fight against galamasey .The Commission is demanding some GHS 6000 which is around $ 1,000 – for information on each request about licenses it has issued, revoked and money made from annual monitoring fees for excavators.
However, The minerals commission has defended its demand for $1,000 for a right to information (RTI) request made by The Fourth Estate, amidst criticisms that it is monetising public information.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Martin Kwaku Ayisi stated in a press statement that “The Fourth Estate, was asked to pay the fees demanded by law, NOT on the whims and caprices of the Commission“.
The Commission, in the June 19, 2021 statement reacting to The Fourth Estate’s publication, said it would not back down on its demand of the $1,000 fee, which some RTI advocates have described as “ridiculous”.
In that initial response to The Fourth Estate, the commission said its decision, to collect almost GH¢ 6,000, was based on the provisions of Regulation 4 of the Minerals and Mining (Licensing) Regulations, 2012 (L.I 2176)] on fees and charges.
With The Fourth Estate and RTI activists disagreeing with the commission’s demand, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Martin Kwaku Ayisi, fired back on Sunday, saying the commission’s laws on fees and charges were blind to whether information carried a “commercial value” or not.
Though the RTI law allows for some fees to be charged, it requires that this is done in line with the Fees and Charges Act but Parliament is yet to set approved amounts.
Meanwhile, the Media Foundation for West Africa says it is considering filing an appeal against an Accra High Court’s verdict backing the NCA’s decision to charge fees before it, releases among others, information on the shutdown and status of some radio stations in the country.
Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah explained his outfit will wait for the full ruling if the court arguing that “we will certainly take next appropriate steps which could include the possibility of appealing against the decision,” Mr Braimah indicated.
However, Executive Secretary of RTI Commission, Yaw Sarpong Boateng says the passage of the fees and charges will lay to rest the existing disagreement.
