The whereabouts and status of some public records a the various Liberian government ministries and agencies are not certain, in the absence of proper records management system and lack of training, the head of the Center for National Documents Records Agency/National Archives (CNDRA) has said.
The CNDRA has therefore begun a five day in house training workshop intended to sharpen the skills of 22 staffers on the inspection of public records and document management.
The training also seeks to provide participants basic techniques in general records management and enhance the skills technical capacity of archival employees at the agency.
Addressing the start of the training workshop earlier this week, CNDRA Director General C. Neileh Daitouah reminded employees of their statutory mandate as a records agency of government on which he said the training is focused.
“Our mandates are to ensure that government documents are preserved, kept and made available when they are required,” he noted.
The National Archive Center Director acknowledged that more needs to be done which he said should start with employees of the agency.
“When we tour the building, we see the way people treat documents as such, we have to start with ourselves beginning with my office,” Mr. Daitouah observed.
He said that his agency over the last 12 years cannot speak to the status of documents at ministries and agencies, which he avail the agency will try to address upon the completion of the training.
Director Daitouah is meanwhile challenging archival staff to take serious the five-day training so as to achieve the aim of the training noting, “There is a lot of work we have to do,” the CNDRA boss added.
Following the completion of the training, trainees will be used to inspect public records kept at ministries and agencies across the country.
CNDRA Technical Director Robert Cassel revealed that the purpose for the training is to set the stage for the construction of a multi- purpose center at its 12th Street Compounds in Sinkor.
“To construct the center, you have to inspect the record out there access their conditions before deciding on how to proceed in removing the accessed records to the central location,” he noted.
Among others, techniques being taught includes, how an archival employee can locate documents in lesser time, be able to distinguish the difference between a document and a record, to develop an index and filling system as well as to able to sort and file document.
Meanwhile, the Center for National Documents and Records Agency/ National Archives (CNDRA) has on a pro-bono basis appointed Veteran Liberian Historian Rev. J. Emmanuel Bowier as advisor on historical affairs.
In his communication to Mr. Bowier, dated Monday, June 25 CNDRA Director General C. Neileh Daitouah said “It pleases me to appoint you as Advisor to the Director General on Historical Affairs and said appointment takes immediate effect.
Director Daitouah hoped that the appointment of Mr. Bowier who is also a Reverend (minister of the gospel) will contribute significantly to the discovery of unknown historical events of the country as well as strengthen the archive holdings and make it more valuable to the government and people of the Republic of Liberia.
Reverend Emmanuel Bowier as he is affectionately called by many, has held several public offices popular among which is when he serve as Information Minister during the administration of former Liberian President Samuel K. Doe.
The experienced reverend is also the producer and presenter of insightful historical programs on radio and television stations in the country.
Liberia’s former Information Minister accepted the appointment and expressed willingness to provide his expertise to the National Archives.
He said these words in his acceptance note to the Director General Daitouah ‘’ Dear Director General, Thanks for the confidence reposed in me by appointment as your Advisor on historical affairs.Terms and condition specified are considered ‘’for such a time as this,’’ he concluded.
The Agency was created an act passed by the legislature on November 14, 1977 and printed into handbill on August 18, 1979 making it a statutory institution in the country.
It has the responsibility to manage and store all national documents.