The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, in collaboration with the Right to Information Commission, has organized a training workshop for the Coordinating Units of two projects under the Ministry.
This forms part of the government’s efforts to implement the Right to Information Act, and in accordance with section 45(c) of the Right to Information Act 2019, (Act 989), which provides recommendations and guidelines to a public institution for internal personnel training.
The Coordinating Units who participated in the training were the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme (NAELP) and the Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining Project (GLRSSP).
Addressing the training session, the Ministry’s Right to Information Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Afful stated that the purpose of the training is for officers to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Right to Information Act 2019, (Act 989) and also to consider the role of members of staff in providing factual information to the public.
The Training Facilitators took turns explaining the history and overview of Act 989, the application procedure, the responsibility of public institutions in terms of access, exemptions, and the Commission’s Decision on the Right to Information Act.
The workshop informed participants on the specifics of implementation as specified in the constitutional Right to Information, held by a public entity, subject to the essential and consistent exemptions in a democratic society.
It also went into depth about the Act’s exemptions and how they might be used effectively to guarantee that an institution, although free to give out information, does not give out material that could be harmful to the organization.
The workshop provided participants with the chance to ask questions and contribute to an engaged and educational discourse.
These training sessions are in addition to those previously held by the Ministry in collaboration with the RTI commission for its agencies such as the Minerals Commission, Forestry Commission, Geological Survey Authority, Precious Minerals Marketing Company, Plantation Development Fund Board, and the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
