A leading policy analyst, Dr. Razak Kojo Opoku, has stated that the Office of the President is under no obligation to provide The Fourth Estate with details of expenditure and funding sources for Ghana’s annual Independence Day celebrations.

His comments follow a request by The Fourth Estate to the Presidency under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), seeking access to the expenditure breakdown for the national event.

According to Dr. Kojo Opoku, the request is misguided because the Independence Day celebration involves matters of national security, which fall under categories of information exempted from disclosure under the RTI law.

He cited several provisions of Act 989, arguing that they bar the Presidency or the Chief of Staff from releasing such information without authorisation.

Among the relevant exemptions he highlighted were:

Section 5 – Information prepared for the President or Vice-President, particularly Section 5(b)(ii).

Section 6 – Information relating to Cabinet, especially Section 6(c)(iii and iv).

Section 8 – Information affecting international relations, as the event typically hosts foreign Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and diplomatic delegations whose arrangements are funded by the Government of Ghana.

Section 9 – Information that affects the security of the state, especially Section 9(1)(a), which he says makes it impossible for the government to disclose budgets linked to national security operations.

Dr. Kojo Opoku criticised The Fourth Estate for what he described as “childish entitlement and arrogance” in its demands involving the Office of the President.

He argued that requesting details of the Independence Day budget and its funding sources is “completely ridiculous” given the security-sensitive nature of the event.