Accra: Archives should be treated as strategic tools for transparency, anti-corruption efforts, and democratic governance rather than as repositories of historical records, Dr. Helena Asamoah-Hassan, Chairperson of Ghana's National Committee for UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme, has said. Speaking at a symposium organized by the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) to mark International Archives Week, she highlighted the essential role of effective records management in ensuring public accountability, institutional memory, and citizen trust in government.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Asamoah-Hassan emphasized that archives are not merely history museums but are vital, functioning components of a transparent society that contribute significantly to democracy. She argued that inadequate records management leads to corruption, land disputes, and inefficiencies in public administration, whereas reliable records provide crucial evidence for auditors, investigators, and journalists to hold institutions accountable.
Dr. Asamoah-Hassan pointed out that power benefits from institutional forgetfulness and public amnesia, but the archivist and the journalist serve as antidotes by safeguarding and broadcasting memory, respectively. She urged for stronger collaboration between archivists and journalists, stressing that access to authenticated records is critical for investigative reporting and maintaining public oversight.
Citing South Africa's State Capture investigations, she illustrated how archived records and communication logs have been instrumental in uncovering corruption and supporting judicial processes. Dr. Asamoah-Hassan also highlighted the importance of archives in development planning, noting their role in preserving information on land ownership, infrastructure, environmental management, and public projects, which helps governments avoid repeating past mistakes and supports evidence-based decision-making.
She mentioned that land records maintained by PRAAD have been invaluable in resolving chieftaincy and boundary disputes, while the digital preservation of birth, death, marriage, and citizenship records has strengthened access to public services and the rule of law. Dr. Asamoah-Hassan asserted that good governance relies on public trust, which in turn depends on accountability, and accountability is impossible without verifiable records.
The Chairperson called for increased investment in digital preservation infrastructure, broader public access to records, and enhanced collaboration among archives, government institutions, academia, technology developers, and the media. She identified major challenges facing the sector, including inadequate funding, limited digital access in rural areas, bureaucratic resistance to transparency, and outdated archival laws.
Dr. Asamoah-Hassan proposed leveraging digital technologies, such as open-access records portals and blockchain-based systems for land administration, to improve transparency and protect public records. She warned that failing to fund, protect, and democratize archives risks losing not just paper but also rights, land, and democracy.