President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on public officials not to view public information as their personal property, but a national resource that promotes public good.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, at the opening of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) in Accra yesterday, he said mainstreaming access to information and participation in the public sector activities must move beyond merely passing laws. "We must embed access to information into the very fabric of our public sector institutions.
Public officials must recognise that information is not their property to withhold but a public good to be shared freely.
Our government, ministries, departments, and agencies must proactively make information available, not just in response to requests but as a matter of course," he emphasised.