Improving access to information to transform Ghana
Access to information is the ability to access what information you want whenever you want it. It includes governmental transparency, as we need access to the huge quantities of information that the government holds and creates. Access to information is also important for education and improving lives and it affects every sector such as health, education, agriculture, sports, etc. Access to information is also one side of the coin whose other face is freedom of expression as we need information in order to be able to express ourselves well, and we need others to be able to access our words in order for those words to have impacts to transform Ghana to a world-class country.
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Libraries in general play an important role in the nation’s development; hence, the support for the inclusion of libraries and access to information as part of national and regional development plans that will contribute to meeting the United Nation’s (UN) 2030 Agenda dubbed, ‘Transforming our world: Th
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With increasing recognition of information as a critical ingredient for development, the issue of ‘right to information’ is gaining prominence. By and large, this was recognised by the UN at its very inception in 1946, when the General Assembly resolved that "Freedom of Information is a fundamental human right and the touchstone for all freedoms to which the UN is consecrated."
Access to information sets a higher standard of accountability and gives citizens the legal power to dose the legal and institutional impediments to openness and accountability that still dominate the operations of many governments. It also holds within it the right to seek information, as well as the duty to give information, to store, collect, organise, and make it easily available, and to withhold it only when it is proven that this is in the best public interest. The duty to enable access to information rests with government and encompasses two key aspects: enabling citizens to access information upon request; and proactively disseminating important information.
Benefits
One may ask how many knowledge repositories such as libraries, archives and museums we have in government institutions in Ghana? Because there are no regulatory bodies, access to information management is a major problem in Ghana. The right or access to information is, therefore, important because it facilitates freedom of speech. It is also important for education and improving the lives of citizens to transform Ghana into a world-class nation.
Access to government information is a key component of transparent and accountable activities and processes. In other words, the public has the right to access information held by government and public bodies on request and governments have an obligation to actively disseminate information to the public on matters of public interest. In order for the citizens to ensure that the public bodies are staying within the limits of the law and within the limits of their remit to ensure objectivity and fairness, there must be a regulatory body or bodies to intervene when there are breaches and develop plans to meet national, academic, public, school, special or research libraries and information needs of Ghanaians. In other words, access to information affects all types of libraries.
Also, an independent National Information Commission, for example, will seek the protection, promotion and practice of right to information. It will empower the citizens by promoting transparency and accountability in the workings of the public and private organisations, with the ultimate aim of decreasing corruption and establishing good governance.
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. It has been instrumental in pushing forward the post -2015 UN 2030 Agenda. Through its advocacy role, IFLA has been able to lobby for inclusion in the 2030 Agenda access to information (Goal 16.10), universal literacy (Goal 4.6), safeguarding of cultural and natural heritage (Goal 11.4), as well as access to Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) (Goals 5b, 9c, 17.8).
The 2030 Agenda enjoins all UN member states to pay attention to poverty eradication, climate change and the development of people. Libraries are key public institutions which have a vital role to play in furthering development on every level of society and they can support many aspects of UN’s vision and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to make UN’s work vivacious and vibrant. IFLA has provided guidance on National Development Plan and requires the 2030 Agenda to be implemented at every country’s national level. It further encourages information professionals to continue the active work in engaging with governments and be included in the national development plans.
As a matter of urgency, structures and plans should be put in place to meet the development goals set out in UN 2030, GHANA 2061 and AU 2063. Ghana is far behind in terms of its current state of access to information. There is no institution assigned to manage, protect and support access to government and private information. Besides, a major problem of information access in Africa is the lack of proper documentation. This, unfortunately, is the situation in some ministries and government institutions in the country. Access to information should be crucial to the needs of Ghanaians and should be our number one priority.
The writers are Information and Knowledge Management Professionals.