Public Archives to be digitized – Osafo-Maafo

General News on Thursday, January 24, 2019

Source: Grace Ablewor Sogbey

2019-01-24

The government of Ghana, under the auspices of Prime Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has launched a process in which millions of pages of public documents will be converted to digital format.

In a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister (OSM), the process should also lead to the digitization of all public sector systems and processes.

According to the release, the process is part of the National Public Sector Reform Strategy (NPSRS) 2018-2023, which aims to strengthen document management and the transition of document management systems in Ghana.

To this end, Mr. Osafo-Maafo is currently in China with a five-person delegation to discuss with Global Security Technology Company Limited (GSAFETY) of Beijing, a Chinese company that has expressed interest in badisting Ghana in the process of scanning.

The objectives of the seven-day visit will focus on "awareness raising and technical and financial support for the establishment of the electronic records management system as a national program for all government departments, agencies and ministries, all metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA) and other state institutions, "the statement said.

ADVANTAGES

After the successful implementation of the proposed electronic records management project, MDAs, MMDAs and other state agencies will move from the current records management system from "Printing Records to Paper Based Filling Systems" to "Electronic Records Management Systems" and the accepted standard for record keeping, which will extend the life of public records.

It is further expected that the operations of the Department of Public Records Administration (PRAAD) will be digitized and automated to provide online archiving services to its clients, with a complete digital backup of its fonds .

According to the OSM, the project will "Renovate the current repositories used for the management and preservation of the nation's documentary memory and cultural heritage".

He continued: "This will reduce or eliminate the impact of the damage or loss of essential public documents that in the past have led to huge legal debts against the government because of the inefficiency of public document management systems in the public sector. "

DELEGATES

The Ghanaian delegation that left for China on January 19, 2019 for this informative discussion will be back on January 27, 2019.

They understand; Janet A. Fofie, Chair of the Public Service Commission; Thomas Kusi Boafo, CEO of Public Sector Reform; Mr. Samuel Abu Bonsrah, Acting Principal Director of the OSM; Mr. Felix Ampong Nyarko, Director of PRAAD and Mr. Michael Adu-Gyamfi, Deputy Director at the OSM.