Favorable comments March 28 by Alhassan Azong, Ghana’s Minister of Public Service Reform Sector, bolstered a mood of confidence among supporters of the long-stymied freedom of information legislation
The minister said the cabinet has already approved the FOI bill and that it will be passed by the end of the year, according to an article about a meeting he held between the country’s Open Government Partnership (OGP) Steering Committee and a visiting delegation of FOI advocates led by Gilbert Sendugwa, Coordinator of the African Freedom of Information Center and Alison Tilley, Executive Director of the Cape Town-based Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC).
Also boosting hope is that passage of a FOI law is included in the draft action plan prepared by the government as part of its OGP efforts.
The minister “acknowledged that disagreements exist between government and civil society over some provisions of the Bill; he however assured the delegation that this hurdle will be cleared,” according to the article. A representative of the president’s office who spoke at the meeting said the outstanding issues were very difficult, according to a person who attended the meeting.
Azong’s comments follow favorable mentions of FOI by the new president. (See previous FreedomInfo.org report.)
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