The Ghana Police Service and the Ministry of Education have emerged among repeat offenders on the Right to Information Commission’s latest list of public institutions sanctioned for failing to comply with reporting requirements under the RTI Act.

The Commission has imposed a GH₵20,000 administrative penalty on 254 public institutions for failing to submit their 2025 Right to Information annual reports as required by law.

The list of defaulting institutions includes the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Education, several hospitals, universities and state agencies.

The latest sanctions have renewed concerns about persistent non-compliance among some public institutions, particularly those that have previously faced penalties for similar breaches.

A Corruption Watch investigation published in September 2025 showed that more than 60 institutions had accumulated approximately GH₵5.6 million in penalties between 2020 and 2025 for violations of RTI obligations.

The Agricultural Development Bank recorded the highest penalties during that period with about GH₵1.365 million, followed by the Ghana Police Service with GH₵450,357, the Ministry of Education with GH₵260,000 and SSNIT with GH₵200,000.

The investigation also found that the Ministry of Education had received the highest number of penalties, with four sanctions, while the Ghana Police Service had been penalised three times.

Despite these previous sanctions, both institutions have again appeared on the Commission’s latest list of defaulters for failing to submit their 2025 annual reports.

Under Section 77(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), public institutions are required to submit written reports on their RTI activities within 60 days after December 31 each year.

The reports provide information on RTI applications received, approved, rejected and the reasons for any refusals.

The RTI Commission has warned that compliance with the law is mandatory and not optional.

“The Commission emphasises that compliance with Act 989 is not discretionary,” it said, adding that failure to meet statutory timelines and disclosure obligations constitutes a violation of the law.

Each affected institution has been given 14 days from receipt of the Commission’s formal notice to pay the GH₵20,000 penalty.

The Commission cautioned that institutions that fail to comply within the stipulated period could face further enforcement action.

The recurrence of violations among some state institutions has triggered calls from civil society groups for stronger accountability measures, including tougher sanctions against heads of institutions who repeatedly fail to comply with transparency obligations.

The latest action forms part of the Commission’s broader efforts to strengthen public access to information and improve accountability across government institutions.