Management of digital records in selected financial services parastatals in Zimbabwe

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a surge of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the conduct of business. Public sector institutions in Zimbabwe have also embraced ICTs with an objective of promoting accountability, transparency and service delivery. This has increased the generation of digital records which are key in day-to-day business activities. However, the management of such records has been a challenge for most public sector institutions in most countries including Zimbabwe. Despite embracing ICTs, there have not been many changes to create a favourable environment for managing the resultant digital records. The findings reported in this research article were part of a broader study on the management of digital records in selected financial services parastatals in Zimbabwe. The study utilised the digital curation centre (DCC) curation lifecycle model as the theoretical framework of the study. This multiple case study research adopted a qualitative research approach to collect data from four purposively selected financial services parastatals in Zimbabwe using interviews, document analysis and observation as data collection tools. The study established that the financial services parastatals under investigation still lack requisite tools such as policies, guidelines and standards, adequate infrastructure and skilled manpower for effective and efficient management of digital records. In addition, the National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ), which has the legal mandate of regulating records management, has not been sufficiently involved in the management of digital records due to the lack of a legal and professional framework. Therefore, the study recommends the crafting of in-house policies and guidelines for managing digital records, procurement of adequate infrastructure and the recruitment of skilled and experienced manpower, if an enabling environment for the effective and efficient management of digital records is to be created.

The state of digital records preservation in South Africa’s public sector in the 21st century: a literature review

“…Unfortunately, it is clear from the available literature that desired changes are often not implemented owing to a lack of financial and personnel resources to support a digital curriculum (Garaba, 2015). This conclusion is corroborated by Chikomba et al (2020), who observe that some participants in their research study did not even know basic terms related to digital records management, in spite of the fact that they possessed records management qualifications.…”

“…A limited number of studies have been done on the state of digital records in South Africa and on the challenges facing both records managers and archivists in relation to resources, skills adequacy, authority, content management systems, long-term digital preservation and the problem of evidencing authenticity over time (Ngoepe, 2017). Some of the challenges include non-adherence to any existing records management standards, lack of adequate and proper infrastructure and lack of a skilled workforce (Chikomba, Rodrigues and Ngoepe, 2020, p. 2). In South Africa, there has been little discussion of the existing literature on records and archival management, including that about the post-custodial activities concerned with digital records.…”

“…According to Chikomba et al (2020), policies and guidelines are critical components of any records management programme. Hence, proper records management starts with the establishment of policies and guidelines to regulate control of records throughout their life-cycle; and the preservation of digital records has to be supported by regulations, with well-established policies, procedures and guidelines (Mnjama, 2010).…”

The Challenges in Implementing Proper Recordkeeping Practices at Public Universities

“…As the appraisal records is part of the recordkeeping component and important to the institutions, the absence of it could generate a lot of issues especially in terms of appraising the institution's records. This is also supported by Chikomba et al (2021), where the lack of policies, guidelines and standards have affected records management practices such as creation, access, appraisal, and storage. Through these justifications, the issues of lack of policy applied on the recordkeeping practices are properly explained.…”

E-records guidance tools in records sharing at Tanzania Public Service College

“…In addition, the National Archives of Zimbabwe has a legal mandate to provide e-records policy, standards, and principles for guidance on the management and sharing of e-records among the government agencies and institutions. However, it has not improvised with these tools, instead the institution's developed procedures and principles are often used, and staff are frequently reminded to use it in the e-records transaction (Chikomba, Rodrigues & Ngoepe, 2020). Generally, and based on these findings, it is imperative that the national archives of developing countries have to ensure availability of e-records guidance tools for various organisations, institutions and government agencies as they aided value in management and sharing of e-records.…”