By Daniel Adu Darko
Accra, June 19, GNA – 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, Ghana’s National Committee for UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme, has said.
Speaking at a symposium organised by the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) to mark International Archives Week, she said effective records management was essential for public accountability, institutional memory and citizen trust in government.
“Archives are not history museums; they are the active, living operating systems of a transparent society that plays a role in driving democracy,” she said.
Dr Asamoah-Hassan argued that poor records management contributed to corruption, land disputes and inefficiencies in public administration, while reliable records provided evidence for auditors, investigators and journalists to hold institutions accountable.
“Power thrives on institutional amnesia. It loves a public that forgets. But we have two antidotes to amnesia – the archivist who guards the memory and the journalist who broadcasts it,” she said.
Dr Asamoah-Hassan called for stronger collaboration between archivists and journalists, saying access to authenticated records was critical for investigative reporting and public oversight.
Citing South Africa’s State Capture investigations, she said archived records and communication logs had been used as evidence in exposing corruption and supporting judicial processes.
Dr Asamoah-Hassan said archives also played an important role in development planning by preserving information on land ownership, infrastructure, environmental management and public projects, helping governments avoid repeating past mistakes and supporting evidence-based decision-making.
She noted that land records maintained by PRAAD continued to assist in resolving chieftaincy and boundary disputes, while digital preservation of birth, death, marriage and citizenship records strengthened access to public services and the rule of law.
“Good governance relies on public trust, trust relies on accountability, and accountability is impossible without verifiable records,” she said.
The Chairperson called for greater investment in digital preservation infrastructure, wider public access to records and stronger collaboration among archives, government institutions, academia, technology developers and the media.
She also identified inadequate funding, limited digital access in rural areas, bureaucratic resistance to transparency and outdated archival laws as major challenges facing the sector.
“A society that destroys, hides or underfunds its archives is a society that has abandoned its foundational rules, promises and ethical standards of governance,” she said.
Dr Asamoah-Hassan proposed the use of digital technologies, including open-access records portals and blockchain-based systems for land administration, to improve transparency and protect public records.
“If we do not fund, protect and democratise our archives, we are not just losing paper; we are losing our rights, our land and our democracy,” she said.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Daniel Adu Darko
Email: [email protected]