Community Volunteers to advocate on RTI Bill

Zebilla (UE), Sept 22, GNA- Mission of Hope, supported by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, has undertaken a one day capacity building for 14 community volunteers at Zebilla in the Upper East Region.

The Trained Volunteers are to serve as community advocates on the Right to Information Bill in the Zebilla constituency.

The participants were drawn from the media, CBOs, traditional rulers and Queen Mothers, Youth group leaders, Assembly members and some decentralized Departmental heads in the district.

They were also taken through four documents and guidelines related to the RTI Bill which included the human rights aspect of the 1992 constitution of Ghana, Concerns on the Right to information (RTI) bill, Zero Draft of the RTI and the campaign strategies to influence policy/law makers.

The Resource Person, Gabriel Gbiel Benarkuu, in concluding discussions on the topic, made reference to the fundamental Human Rights of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and the Memorandum/Zero Draft which had drawn its bases from the 1992 constitution of Ghana which mandates every citizen to have access to information including basic necessities of life such as food, housing, water, education and Health.

He said the passage of the bill into law will bring about easy access to public information, trust, curb corruption, reduce speculation and falsehood and consequently promote good governance principles of transparency, accountability and participation.

He entreated the participants to build the capacity of grass root organizations and identifiable groups in the Zebilla constituency and to reach out to the ordinary citizens to join in the campaign for the passage the bill.

The trained Volunteers are expected to embark on various campaigns in the Constituency including organizing District fora to sensitize more people, targeting the various organized groups in the district and carry out media publications with the knowledge and information on the right to information Bill.

They are also expected to paste printed information on the RTI Bill in community information centres and other public places including the district assembly premises, Information Service Departments, market stalls as well as religious centres and engage in radio discussions in the local language (Kusaal) on the main issues in the bill and its benefits to the ordinary citizens of Ghana.

GNA