Digital Recordkeeping workshop held in Accra

The Minister of State in charge for Social and Allied Institutions, Hon.Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah, has remarked that efficient and proper records keeping was critical to the promotion of Ghana’s good governance concept.

She therefore, tasked Public Records and Administration Department (PRAAD), which is the institution responsible in managing records of government institutions, to ensure that archival materials are kept according to the changing trend to meet today’s global dynamics.

According to her, one of the pillars of good governance and democracy was transparency, probity and accountability, which can be achieved through effective record management system.

Hon. Comfort Ghansah, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP), for Ada, made these observations at the opening of a five-day Training workshop held in Accra, on Monday, on the Theme; “Recordkeeping for good Governance”, an initiative which was supported by the International Council for Archives (ICA), which is an international organization with global expertise in the field of recordkeeping, to build capacities of workers of PRAAD countrywide.

The Minister of State said the theme, for the event was most appropriate considering the lackadaisical attitude employed by most of the Government organizations in managing records which most often are not traceable, a development which is hindering our forward march to the attainment of our socio- economic development for the nation.

Hon. Ghansah, further commended PRAAD and other donor agencies for taking the laudable initiative aimed at improving our record keeping system in Ghana.

The Director – General for Ghana – India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Madam Dorothy Gordon, who was the Chairperson for the occasion, stressed that record management had moved further from manual to technologically driven system, and it was important that PRAAD lived up to its bidden to achieve that technological feat.

She urged PRAAD to adopt very good technological innovations that would enable them achieve their desired objectives on keeping proper records for the various Ministries, Departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana at all times, stressing that her outfit was ready to partner and support PRAAD to digitalize their records management.

The Chief Director to the Office of the Head of Civil Service (OHCS), Mrs. Cynthia Asare Bediako, advised PRAAD to embark on sensitization campaigns across the country to educate the Ghanaian public about the critical role and the huge capacity the institution possesses in managing archival materials for organizations both private and public.

She was of the view that if PRAAD should utilize its potentials to the maximum, it could be self-sufficient, since private organizations can engage the institution to manage their archival materials for them which would ultimately bring financial returns to PRAAD.

Mrs. Cynthia Asare Bediako reminded the participant that even in the olden day’s proper records keeping was at its best and wondered why poor records management is of a recent phenomenon.

She therefore, admonished Ghanaians to inculcate in them the habit of effective records keeping management, particularly, in the area of Birth Certificates, Educational Certificates, pay slip and among other documentations which could cost one dearly, failure to keep proper records of those documentations.

On his part, the Acting Director of PRAAD, Mr. Felix Nyarko Ampong, intimated that given the cordial relationship the citizenry enjoys with the government it would help to transact business in a trustworthy environment once there is authentic, reliable and accessible information as and when the need arises.

On her part, the Head of the Civil Service Training Centre, Mrs. Dora Dei-Tumi, urged the participants to generate an action plan on returning to their various institutions.

This she pointed out that it would guide them on their records keeping implementation program.

Present at the function were the Officials of PRAAD and other State Institutions in the Country.