MoFA Stonewalls RTI Request Over Mystery Warehouses in Western North, Fuelling Accountability Fears

Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is under scrutiny after failing to respond to a formal Right to Information (RTI) request seeking details about two agricultural warehouses located in Juaboso and Suaman Dadieso in the Western North Region. The silence from the ministry has raised fresh concerns about transparency and accountability in the management of public assets meant to serve Ghanaian farmers.

What we know about the warehouses

The two facilities in question are situated in Juaboso and Suaman Dadieso, constituencies in the Western North Region — an area known for its cocoa and food crop production. Agricultural warehouses of this nature are typically constructed to support farmers by providing storage for harvested produce, helping to reduce post-harvest losses and stabilise market prices. When managed properly, they serve as a critical link between smallholder farmers and broader commodity markets.

An RTI request was submitted to MoFA seeking specific information about the warehouses — including details on their construction, funding, operational status, and management arrangements. Under Ghana's Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), public institutions are legally obligated to respond to such requests within a stipulated timeframe. MoFA's failure to do so is not merely an administrative oversight; it represents a potential breach of the law.

Why it matters for Ghana

Ghana's RTI Act was hailed as a landmark piece of legislation when it came into force, fulfilling a long-standing constitutional promise enshrined in Article 21(1)(f) of the 1992 Constitution. Civil society groups and journalists celebrated the law as a tool for holding public institutions accountable and shining light on how state resources are deployed. However, the law's effectiveness depends entirely on compliance — and cases like this one suggest that some ministries are yet to embrace the culture of transparency it demands.

Agricultural infrastructure is of particular importance to Ghanaians. The country has invested heavily in projects aimed at boosting food security and supporting farmers, yet questions about whether such investments are delivering value for money have persisted over the years. Warehouses that sit idle, are poorly managed, or whose existence cannot be properly accounted for represent a waste of public funds — funds drawn from Ghanaian taxpayers and, in many cases, from development loans that the country must repay.

The Western North Region, where these warehouses are located, is home to farming communities that could directly benefit from functional storage infrastructure. If the facilities are operational and serving farmers, that is a story worth telling. If they are not, that too is information the public deserves to know.

• MoFA's non-response may constitute a breach of the RTI Act, 2019, which mandates timely replies to information requests.
• Accountability gaps in agricultural infrastructure spending can have direct consequences for food security and farmer welfare.
• Civil society and journalists are increasingly using the RTI Act to scrutinise public institutions, testing whether Ghana's transparency laws have teeth.

What should happen next

Under the RTI Act, applicants who do not receive a response within the required period have the right to file a complaint with the Right to Information Commission. The Commission has the authority to investigate non-compliance and direct institutions to release information. Advocacy groups and watchdog organisations are likely to be watching closely to see whether MoFA is held to account or whether this case joins a growing list of unanswered RTI requests across government.

For Ghana to build a genuine culture of open government, ministries must treat RTI requests not as nuisances but as legitimate exercises of citizens' rights. MoFA's continued silence sends a troubling signal — one that undermines public trust and raises uncomfortable questions about what, if anything, there is to hide about these Western North warehouses.