SECTOR 1 Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 1.9 (2006: 1.4; 2008: 1.1; 2011: 2.8) 1.7 Public information is easily accessible, guaranteed by law, to all citizens. In a section on General Fundamental Rights, Article 21(1)(f) of the Constitution states: “All persons shall have the right to information, subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society.” However, although the Constitution guarantees the right to information, whether or not such information is easily accessible is another question. Ghana does not have any laws that facilitate access to information, and efforts to bring about a right to information law are still ongoing. Nevertheless, “there is measurable access to information”, and most ministries provide information on their websites on a regular basis,” although the information published on these websites only includes “what they want us to know”. “The websites can be deceptive, and it easy to place information simply for public relations purposes. Access to information is not easy for the general public.” In some cases, the information provided is falsified. An example of this can be seen in the case of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) scandal, wherein monies meant for youth development loans and employment went astray. “Officers at the top found ways to use that money to spend on themselves rather than on the intended purpose. They bloated the numbers of beneficiaries and diverted money earmarked for specific projects.” The amount of information one is able to gain from government ministries and agencies also “often depends on who you know on the inside to provide this information”, or on which ministry or agency one is dealing with. For example, there is no transparency on defense spending – not only in terms of weapons AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2013 21