Records and Archives Legislation

Abstract

The importance of records and archives cannot be overemphasized. They document essential activities, decisions and evidence of government. Without records and archives, government can neither operate effectively and efficiently nor be accountable to its citizens. Besides, the rights of its citizens including that of the environment, land rights and territorial integrity cannot be protected without records. The future of any nation depends on the past. Past records are used as gateway into the past. Thus governments all over the world require records and archives legislation for compliance and to ensure that records and archives are managed accordingly for posterity and historical purposes. The absence of records and archives legislation to act as a guiding principle to custodians, creators and users of records and archives poses risks that cannot be ignored.