The Public Records and
Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) in Accra needs close to $30 million for
digitization and restoration of archival repositories, checks by the Goldstreet Business have revealed.
Documents sighted states
that out of the amount, about $5 million is needed to digitize and catalogue
all public records at all regional offices whereas about $11 million is estimated
to cater for restoration of archival repositories and infrastructure.
The remaining
amount will be used to carry out some equally important works by the
department.
Digitization
Regarding digitization,
estimated materials of 20,000 sheets will be scanned and the cost of scanning
and saving is pegged at $4,000,000. An amount of $200,000 will be used to cover
cost of repairing damaged materials in all ten regional offices, $100,000 to be
used to cater for stock taking, whiles $150,000 will be needed to cover the
cost of selecting materials to be digitized and their arrangement processes.
Restoration
With respect to
restoration of the archival repository, an amount of over $10 million will be
required for the establishment of new, modern and well-equipped repository
whereas $500,000 will be needed to refurbish all ten regional offices.
Since the establishment
of PRAAD, checks have revealed that none of their records have been digitized
whereas all their operations have largely been manual.
The Acting Director of
PRAAD, Mr. Felix N Ampong, recently stated that government has provided Ghc1
million to start with the digitization process.
A source at PRAAD who
spoke on condition of anonymity mentioned that the money government provided – which is just one-tenth of the total
amount needed for digitization alone, is woefully inadequate to carry out any
serious work and that it is possible the state could lose most of her vital
public records after 10 years.
Additional checks by
Goldstreet Business further revealed that many of Ghana’s public records at
PRAAD are getting deteriorated. This is because it is largely made up of paper
files which have are partly torn, moldy, dusty and partially decayed due to
continuous handling and humid weather conditions. The source emphasized it was important
government takes immediate steps to provide adequate resources for digitization
to kick start.
The source stated that
currently the amount needed to preserve the records from rot and further damage
is far cheaper than the amount to be used to conserve them, and added that it
was important the state pays greater attention to the department before it
reaches crisis period.
“Storage of records here is a problem.
We need to
operate under a controlled temperature that is favourable to the papers. Papers
need to be kept under a controlled temperature to maintain their quality”, the
source said.
A visit at the
department’s repository revealed that the place has not seen any major
refurbishment since its establishment. The faulty air-conditioners at the
repository have not been replaced in the last 15 years.
“We have huge infrastructural deficit at
PRAAD. Some of the records are so fragile, and we need to restore them. Some of
the records are really going too bad”, the source explained.
Act
of Parliament
The PRAAD was established
by a Legislative Instrument (L.I 1628) in 1996 through an Act of Parliament,
Act 535, 1997. The department is mandated by law for proper and effective
management of all records in public institutions of government.
The department is also
mandated by law to ensure that all public institutions and individuals who
create and maintain public records follow good record keeping practices.
However, checks at its
head office in Accra revealed the department is unable to carry out this constitutional
mandate because it is largely under resourced.
Fire
Concerns have been raised
by some civil society groups and individuals expressing the sorry nature of the
facility.
The source noted that, since
none of their items have been digitized at the moment, should any inferno strike
the facility; it is possible that the state could lose all its records. The
source mentioned that the department has communicated this to the Presidency
and all institutions involved, but are yet to receive any major monetary
facility.
“We have communicated in
writing to the Presidency and Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu- Ekuful,
on the challenges we are currently facing. What the government has given to us
is just Ghc1 million to begin with digitization. We will take the most
important files and start with them first”, the source stressed.
Records keeping and
preservation have been a major factor facing the country. It can be recalled
that in October, 2009, fire gutted the entire building of the Foreign Affairs
Ministry which left many key historical documents burnt.
Importance
PRAAD played a crucial
role during the maritime border disputes between Ghana and Ivory Coast, which
saw Ghana winning. The archiver provided reliable historical documents to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to help the nation support
its arguments in court.
Again, a number of
chieftaincy disputes have been settled with reliable archival documents from
PRAAD.
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