RTI&DW Akademie Study: Ghanaian Journalists Struggle To Access Information

Coalition on the Right To Information (RTI), Ghana in collaboration with DW Akademie tasked 7 selected and trained journalists to embark on research stories into the public sector for a period of six (6) weeks and it has been established that accessing information is very difficult. According to their findings in their various areas of research, it was made common to the 7 journalists that people in the communities are affected by non-transparent governance as citizens are ready to talk about issues confronting them but officials are not willing to give in. They said that government officials are not willing to hand out records, assembly minutes, bank statements of official accounts or other documents with the response that they are not responsible, not authorized to speak and some claiming to be on leave to comment on their requests. Beate Weides, the coordinator of Germany�s leading organization for international media development, DW Akademie projects in Ghana said these are lame excuses, making the job of the journalists unproductive without official sources to buttress their stories. �They can�t report on the facts, they can�t inform the public and the public can�t make informed decisions; in short, the very basis of democracy in Ghana is under threat�, Beate Weides stated. Speaking to Peacefmonlin.com , Lawyer Mrs. Ugonna Ukaigwe, Coordinator of RTI Coalition said the research stories by the 7 journalists is meant to demonstrate to Ghanaians the importance of the right to information as without it development will be retarded and corruption will be on rampage in the country. She insisted on the need to have access to information as it is everybody�s right and not the media alone to demand for information especially pertaining to developmental issues in Ghana such as water, electricity and other public knowledge. She however charged all civil society groups and the public to come on board to push the passage of the Right To Information Bill into law as it is currently awaiting the Attorney-General Department�s appendix before Parliament pass the bill into law. Out of the seven (7) journalists who took part in the 6 weeks workshop, two journalists Maxwell Suuk and Chris Joe Quaicoe were selected to present their findings. Maxwell Suuk of Diamond Fm in Tamale in the Northern part of Ghana investigated why a health facility in Wulugu (West Mamprusi District) that was built almost ten (10) ten years ago has not been put to use to this day and officials are not ready to respond to his questions. Chris Joe Quaicoe of Peacefmonline.com wrote an extensive account on why Accra�s administration is not more successful in fighting cholera. He found that funds distributed under the government�s WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) program were largely used to pull down houses in illegal settlement. The mayor of Accra was not ready to share with the journalist the public data he bases his assertions on how cholera has gone down steadily by pulling down houses at Mensah Guinea.