01 Dec 2022

Digitised information is ideal for productive, accountable and effective service delivery, acting Minister of Youth Gender, Sport, and Culture, Mr Karabo Gare has said

 He told the 3rd annual record management and archives conference in Gaborone  Wednesday that well-kept and timely managed information would facilitate informed decision-making.Stating that digitalisation was necessary for information safekeeping and accessibility, Mr Gare said change informed by facts, mostly derived from records and archives, empowered citizens to reflect, introspect and realign.

It was through information that communities had a sense of identity, he said.

 Minister Gare said digitalisation and proper management of records and archives were fundamental to the realisation of Vision 2036 ideals.

For her part, the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary responsible for corporate services, Ms Wame Samapipi, said the conference was timely given that government had embarked on a transformational drive in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There is a likelihood that as we emerge from the pandemic, the standards of management and service delivery have a tendency to deteriorate, making repercussions of the pandemic even worse,” she said.

Ms Samapipi said the archives and records management profession was using the conference to reflect and introspect on daily activities and align service delivery to contribute to the achievement of Vision 2036.

Another speaker, Office of the President based records management specialist, Mr Leonard Mbakile, advised delegates to rebrand so as to continuously meet day-to-day customer demands.

The two-day conference, held under the theme: Repositioning Archives and Records Management to the New Agenda, was aimed at providing a networking platform for stakeholders for the betterment of the records and archives profession.ENDS