The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has imposed administrative penalties of GH¢20,000 each on 254 public institutions across Ghana for failing to submit their mandatory 2025 RTI Annual Reports.
The affected institutions include key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). The enforcement action underscores the Commission’s renewed push to uphold transparency and accountability in public administration under Ghana’s landmark Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989).
In a press release issued on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, the RTI Commission confirmed that the penalties were enforced under Section 77(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989). This provision explicitly mandates all public institutions to submit annual reports detailing their implementation of the RTI law.
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According to the Commission, the defaulting MDAs and MMDAs ignored multiple compliance reminders. Public notices were published in the Ghanaian Times on January 20, 2026, and the Daily Graphic on April 24, 2026, yet the affected institutions still failed to meet the statutory reporting deadline.
The RTI Commission stressed that the annual reports from individual public institutions are not merely bureaucratic exercises. They are essential data points that enable the Commission to compile its own consolidated Annual Report to Parliament.
Without timely submissions from MDAs and MMDAs, the Commission cannot fully account for Ghana’s progress on access to information. The Commission noted that the statutory deadline for compiling the consolidated 2025 Annual Report has already passed, leaving it with no choice but to invoke enforcement actions against non-compliant institutions to safeguard transparency and accountability in public administration.
The RTI Commission has directed all 254 defaulting public institutions to pay the administrative penalty of GH¢20,000 within 14 days of receiving their formal notice.
In a firm warning, the Commission cautioned that any institution that fails to settle the penalty within the stipulated timeframe will face further enforcement measures as prescribed by Act 989.
“The Commission reminds heads of public institutions that compliance with the reporting requirements under Act 989 is a statutory obligation and not a matter of discretion,” the statement read.
The Commission concluded by reaffirming its unwavering commitment to enforcing the provisions of the RTI Act. It pledged to continue promoting transparency, accountability, and open access to information across all public institutions in Ghana, ensuring that citizens’ Right to Information is not undermined by administrative non-compliance.
