Freedom of information : implications for records management in Ghana

Many countries including Ghana are adopting freedom of information (FOI) legislation as part of good governance, transparency and public accountaility. This is because FOI is now recognized as a fundamental human right. The existence of an FOI law is based on the principle that the public's right to know is a fundamental element of democratic governance. However, it has been demonstrated that successful implementation of FOI legislation is linked to effective and efficient record keeping praactices. Where record keeping systems are poor or ineffective, the implementation of FOI will either be problematic or fail to achieve the desired results. Information access is impossible without good records management. In public sector organizations in Ghana existing records management systems can not keep pace with modern processes of information needs. Systems of storage, retrieval amd disposition of rrecords leave much to be desired. Record keeping infrastructure must be supported by information culture. Viable record keeping systems are needed to support the implementation of the freedom information legislation.