The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has fined 254 public institutions, including UPSA and 37 Military Hospital, GH¢20,000 each for failing to submit their 2025 annual reports on the implementation of Ghana’s Right to Information law.
The affected bodies include Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). The penalties were announced in a press release issued by the Commission on Wednesday, 5 August 2026.
The sanctions have been imposed under Section 77(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989). That provision requires public institutions to submit annual reports detailing their implementation of the legislation.
The Commission said the institutions had missed the reporting requirement despite being reminded on several occasions. Those reminders were published in the Ghanaian Times on 20 January 2026 and in the Daily Graphic on 24 April 2026.
The annual returns are used by the RTI Commission to prepare a consolidated report for presentation to Parliament. The Commission said the information provided by individual public institutions was therefore an important part of the wider system of transparency and accountability in public administration.
It added that the statutory deadline for compiling and submitting the consolidated 2025 Annual Report had already expired. That failure to meet the deadline led the Commission to begin enforcement action against the institutions that had not fulfilled their obligations.
All of the defaulting institutions have been instructed to pay the GH¢20,000 administrative penalty within 14 days of receiving formal notification from the Commission.
The Commission warned that institutions which do not settle the fines within that period could face additional enforcement measures under the relevant legislation.
“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 said.
The requirement applies to public institutions responsible for implementing the RTI Act and reporting on how their obligations under the law have been carried out. The Commission’s action is intended to enforce compliance with that reporting framework after the deadline for the consolidated report had passed.
The penalties cover the 2025 reporting year and affect 254 institutions across the public sector. The Commission identified the affected bodies as including both national-level government institutions and local assemblies.
It reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing the provisions of the Right to Information Act and to promoting transparency, accountability and public access to information across Ghana’s public institutions.
The Commission’s announcement included the list of institutions affected by the administrative penalties.
