Nana Owoahene Acheampong, General Manager of Royals FM, a Wenchi-based local radio station on Thursday, appealed to Ghanaians to join the campaign for the review and passage of the of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill.
He said though the legislature had reached advance stages in passing the bill, it contains certain clauses and provisions which should be amended to provide realistic approach for the public to acquire information and tackle corruption as well.
Nana Acheampong made the appeal at a seminar on the RTI bill organised by the FM station with support from the Commonwealth Human Initiative, an international non-governmental organisation.
It was attended by about 70 participants made up of assembly members, traditional rulers, religious organisations as well as heads of department and agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs).
Nana Acheampong observed that although framers of the bill did an excellent work, it includes certain loopholes which are not friendly and its passage would discourage people who want to seek information especially from public office holders.
The General Manager said an opportunity ought to be created for a national debate on the bill to collect public inputs and submissions to pave the way for the amended of specific provisions before it is passed.
Mr Kwame Dante, Nkoranza Municipal Information Officer, observed that public education on the bill is very low and it needs to be intensified.
He said people especially those at the grassroots level are not aware of the content of the bill as public education on it had centred on urban areas.
Mr Dante expressed regret that although a number of CSOs) have studied the bill, which had been in parliament since 2005, and recommended a review, there are no indications that the legislature are interested to do the appraisal.
He cited that because countries such as such as Rwanda, Nigeria and Malawi did not study the bill and rushed to pass it, the law is not benefiting those countries and Ghana ought to learn a cue.
Mr Dante appealed to members of parliament to develop interest and facilitate the review process of the bill before its passage for the betterment of the nation.
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