MFWA drags Controller and Accountant General’s Dept. to RTI Commission over ‘Mahama Cares’ deductions

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has taken legal action against Ghana's Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) over their refusal to provide information for an investigative journalism project by The Fourth Estate. The CAGD denied the request for data on salary deductions, known as the "Mahama Cares" fund, which were made into the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.

The Fourth Estate sought information, including the names of appointees who lost three months' salary for failing to declare their assets and the total amount contributed by defaulters to the fund. This request was filed under the 1992 Constitution and the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989). The Deputy Controller of Finance and Administration at the CAGD, Emelia Osei Derkyi, explained that the information was provided to the department in confidence and could not be released, as disclosing it would violate the trust placed in the information.

She cited Section 11 of Act 989, stating that the disclosure of such information could deter other institutions from providing similar data in the future.