Public records to be digitized - Osafo-Maafo

The Government of Ghana under the auspice of the Senior Minister, Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo has kick-started a process that will see millions of pages of public records being converted into digital format.

In a release issued by the Office of the Senior Minister (OSM), the process is also expected to bring to fruition, the digitisation of all public sector systems and processes.

The process, according to the statement, falls under the National Public Sector Reform Strategy (NPSRS), 2018-2023 which gears towards strengthening Records Management and the Transitioning of Ghana’s Records Management Systems.

To this end, Mr. Osafo-Maafo is currently in China with a delegation of five, to discuss with the Beijing Global Safety Technology Company Limited (GSAFETY)—a Chinese company which has expressed interest to support Ghana in the digitisation process.

The objectives of the seven-day visit, will centre on, “awareness and possibilities for technical and financial support on the establishment of e-records Management System as a nationwide programme for all Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and other state institutions,” the statement revealed.

BENEFITS

After the successful implementation of the proposed e-Records Management project, MDAs, MMDAs and other state organisations will move away from the current records management system of “Printing records for capture in paper-based filling systems” to “Electronic Records Management Systems” and the accepted standard for record keeping which will prolong the lifespan of public records.

It is further projected that the operations of the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD), will be digitised and automated to provide on-line archiving services to its clients, with a full digital back-up of its holding.

The project according to the OSM, will “Renovate the current archival repositories used for the management and preservation of the documentary memory and cultural heritage of the nation.”

It continues: “It will reduce, if not eliminate, the incidence of damage or loss of vital public records which have in the past resulted in huge judgement debts against the government as a result of ineffective public records management systems in the public sector.”

DELEGATES

The Ghanaian delegation who left for China on January 19, 2019 for this instrumental discussion will return on January 27, 2019.

They include; Mrs Janet A. Fofie, Chairperson, Public Services Commission; Mr. Thomas Kusi Boafo, CEO of the Public Sector Reform; Mr Samuel Abu Bonsrah, Acting Chief Director at the OSM; Mr. Felix Ampong Nyarko, Director of PRAAD and Mr. Michael Adu-Gyamfi, Assistant Director at the OSM.