Page 6 - Professorial Lecture - Prof Nengomasha

1. Introduction

Records and archives management has evolved over the years in terms of the
principles, practices, standards, methodologies and tools. However, with the
dynamism in the application of emerging and newer technologies, the practice
is transforming at a greater pace. The management of records contributes to
efficiency and transparency in organisations as records will always be at hand
to inform decisions and provide evidence. A robust records management
programme ensures that records of enduring value for historical, evidential and
informational purposes i. e. archives, end up in an archival institution where
they are preserved for research and posterity. The management of records
and archives is made up of formal processes which in addition to resource
consideration, is guided by legal and regulatory frameworks which have evolved
with new developments driven by social, political, economic and technological
factors. As argued by Katuu (2015), a history of colonial and post-colonial periods
is critical in setting the stage for any discussions on current developments in
records and archives management.

The history of Namibia’s public service records and archives management
programme has been well documented by Lau (1994) and Taylor (1994). The
paper covers the period 2001 to the present in terms of how Namibia’s public
service has embraced and applied best practices, as well as moved with the
changing environment. As the paper is based on research findings of several
studies on records and archives management, the year 2001 has been selected
based on the available research findings of the 2001 study by Barata et al.
which this author considers as the first most comprehensive study on records
management in Namibia’s public service. The study which concentrated on
financial records management concluded that the records management
function had “no presence throughout government” (Barata et al., 2001, p.8).
A study by Nengomasha (2009) on electronic records in the public service of
Namibia found that the records management programme had not incorporated
electronic records. That study recommended the need for an integrated records
management programme of both paper and electronic records. After these
studies, there have been transformational change to modernise the public
service of Namibia through the adoption of e-government.

E-government has become more than electronic service delivery and is part of
the ongoing reform and transformation of government enabling participatory
governance and partnerships to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Prof. Cathrine Nengomasha | Professorial Lecture 6