Consultant
International Records Management Trust
London EC1
UK
Michael Hoyle will be presenting on Records, Records and Development: the Role of Recordkeeping in Good Governance Strategies in Africa on Monday
Western stereotypes of Africa often portray the entire continent racked by tyranny, war, corruption, famine, disease and poverty. While most sub-Saharan African countries do face enormous challenges, there is a tendency to forget that Africa is a large diverse continent with many nations and peoples that face a variety of different issues. Some have made good progress in lifting living standards, stabilising and developing their economies and enhancing governance arrangements.
Public sector reform, including the need for accountability and transparency, is part of the poverty reduction strategies in a number of African nations. The governments and international donors are, as a result, giving consideration to information management and recordkeeping issues.
Manual records systems, often dating from colonial times, and varying in terms of their overall state and effectiveness, are the norm but today computer ;applications ;are increasingly evident in government agencies. These result in electronic records being created which require management strategies.
Reforming and creating records systems for public sector information systems at a time of transition to an Information and Communications Technology environment is a challenge to nations where there is great competition for limited resources. Drawing on examples from across Africa, this paper will consider various recordkeeping initiatives and projects that have brought benefits for specific countries in the region, and can be used as good practice in supporting good governance strategies globally.
