The Experience Of China’s Open Government Information And Lessons To Ghana

The realization of the importance of the right to information and the desire to ensure that there is transparency in governance,constitute the foundation for empowering the citizenry to contribute to the good governance and rapid development and progress of any prosperous country.The goal of this study was to examine the views of Ghanaians and Chinese on how access to government information could be and/or has been a means to transparency for good governance and economic development in both countries.China passed the Open Government Information Regulations(the OGI Regulations)in 2007,and came into effect in 2008 whilst in Ghana,the Right to Information(RTI)was first introduced in the Ghanaian public discourse since 1999.By 2003,the government had already drafted the first RTI bill to get the constitutional right to information under article 21(1)f of the 1992 constitution but up till now the bill has not been passed yet therefore comparing China and Ghana I think Ghana can learn a lot of lessons from Chinese experience.The study was done through examination of the operation of the Open Government Information Regulation(FOI Regulation)in China as well as probing the anticipated implementation challenges of Right to Information Bill in Ghana.After describing the background,context,framework and methodology of the study,the thesis presents findings,makes a comparative analysis,and provides recommendations especially for Ghana,which is still in the process of passing a similar legislation.Face-to-face interviews and questionnaires were used to solicit responses from legislators,lawyers,the civil society organizations,post graduates pursuing journalism and communication alongside participant observation.The sampling technique used by the researcher which aided in the collection of data was the purposive sampling technique.Content analysis was used in analyzing the data collected.The study discovered that Ghanaians are concerned about the lack of operation of their constitutional right protected under article 21(1)(f)of the 1992 Constitution,Results indicate a certain degree of optimism about how the bill when passed into law will make government information accessible to the public.It was observed that not only the government agencies should be bound by the RTI.There were respondents who believed that the private sectors should also be obliged to make information about their dealings accessible to the citizenry.The study discovered that the transparency in governance and accountability are the two most desired benefits that the citizenry would derive from the right to information bill.It was also discovered that of all the challenges encountered in implementation,lack of political will on the part of the government was considered the most striking challenge.Again,it was revealed that the citizenry should be given the opportunity to appeal if their quest to seek government information is denied.Furthermore,it was also discovered that government played a major role in providing funds for the RTI Bill.It was also discovered that not all information should be released to the citizenry when demanded.The study also indicated that certain information borders on sensitive national security should not be disclosed and that it must be protected.It was observed that a time frame should be set up within which authorities must release information demanded the citizenry.It was revealed that not more than one week should take authorities to make information available to the citizenry.The study concluded on the note that majority of Ghanaians are aware of an Open Government Information Regulation in China and that Ghana would also derive the maximum benefits if the RTI Bill is passed into law.The study also recommended that further studies should be conducted on international standards for FOI laws,and the effectiveness of e-governance in combating corruption.