MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT TRAINS STAFF ON RECORDS MANAGEMENT Ten staff members of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural development including three ICT Specialists were presented with certificates today after completing a week-long training in Records Management. The training answers to the long felt need to upgrade and standardize the management, control and retrieval of records in one of Sierra Leone’s biggest Ministries. On assuming office as Minister of Local government and Rural Development in 2013, Diana Finda Konomanyi-Kabba, expressed her burning desire to ensure that there are proper and effective linkages between the various arms of her Ministry and the general public. She immediately proceeded with steps to effect massive improvement in records management in the ministry, and complimentarily, to establish a website. The UNDP Programme Specialist in the Ministry, Mr. Pious Bockarie, in collaboration with the Senior Records Officer, Ms. Khalila Thomas, accordingly prepared a Concept paper which was submitted to the UDP to fund the establishment of a centralized records management system for the Ministry. The certification ceremony on Monday 17th meant that a handful of staff are now fully trained to overhaul the system and replace it with one that makes for easy management, control and retrieval of documents. The keynote speaker at the certification ceremony was the Minister of Local Government and Rural development, Diana Finda Konomanyi-Kabba. She called the ceremony an epoch-making event, and this declaration gives testimony to her determination to ‘put things right’ in terms of records management in the Ministry. She expressed profound gratitude to the UNDP for their support in the venture, noting that other forms of support had come from the Agency in the past. She emphasized the importance of having a proper records management system in her Ministry which encapsulates important government Institutions such as Local councils and the Paramount Chieftaincy. She noted that requests for information on the status and activities of such Institutions are enormous, pointing out that an archival system needs to be put in place to meet constant requests for information. The Minister related the new development in the Ministry to the spirit behind the ‘Freedom of Access to Information’ Law passed by Parliament recently, and revealed that the Ministry will soon launch its official website in this same vein. Diana Finda Konomanyi-Kabba congratulated staff members who went through the training, but reminded them that they needed to ensure that their newly acquired knowledge is adequately reflected in their performance. ‘I want complete professionalism’, she admonished, and went on to advise them to give visitors the assistance they need and to be very receptive. In another token, the Minister hinted that her Ministry might still need further support from the UNDP, and called on the Agency to replicate such gestures at individual Local Councils across the country. The Director of the Decentralisation Secretariat, Alhassan Kanu, added his voice to the words of gratitude expressed by the Minister to the UNDP. He reiterated the resolve of the Secretariat to ensure the success of government’s decentralization agenda. In his remarks at the ceremony, the UNDP Deputy Country Director, Mohamed Abchir, congratulated the Minister for her untiring efforts towards promoting the Decentralisation programme and also for playing a key role in the fight against the spread of Ebola. He gave the assurance that UNDP stands ready to support the Ministry to establish an accurate data base and to ensure sustainability of the system. The UNDP representative underscored the point that an effective records management system requires training of staff and strong leadership. The Consultant hired to spearhead the transformation of the Ministry’s records management system, Muniru Kawa, lauded the Minister’s passion for proper records management. He reported that so far the team of trainees has categorized the various documents into separate groupings, and pointed out that the end result would be effective linkage between electronic and hard paper files. Some of the Ministry’s records will subsequently be shared with the Central Records Centre at Tower Hill in Freetown.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 22:32:36 +0000