An Assessment of Public Sector Records Management: The Case of Audit Service Sierra Leone (Published)
This study investigated records management at Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) and how it impacts operational efficiency. Management and staff of ASSL formed the basis of the population studied. Mixed method approach was used as research methodology. The study revealed that hybrid records are generated by ASSL and received from varied sectors in society. That there is a nexus between proper records management and auditing at ASSL and that there are different users of records who include management and staff of ASSL, legal officers, Anti-Corruption Commission staff, Government functionaries and researchers. That although managing records is impactful but this is not without challenges which affect the day-to-day operations of the ASSL.
Keywords: Audit, Information Management, Records, Records Management, Sierra Leone, audit institutions, public records, public sector management
Freedom of Information: The Act, Ideal and Practice (Published)
A Government’s commitment to openness is its ability to avail public information to citizens. In this regard Governments are expected to release information to facilitate public participation in policy formulation, decision-making and service delivery. Against this background the Government of Sierra Leone in 2013 passed the Right to Access Information Act for the disclosure of information held by public authorities or by persons providing services. Invariably this article critically examined this Right to Access Information Act in relation to constitutional provision, its relation to other international FOI Acts, the importance of information as a natural resource and how it is accessed, the value of records keeping in ensuring freedom of information as inseparable entities, and its pitfalls.
Keywords: Information, Information Management, Sierra Leone, access to information, information provision, information services