The Zanzibar Archives Project

Abstract

While the importance of archives administration and records management is beginning to be realized in the developing world, few governments have recognized the contribution well-kept records could make to development and efficient public administration. Two workshops, attended by members of the staff of seven National Archives in East and Central Africa, were held in Zanzibar in 1984 and 1985. Initially inspired by the Royal Geographical Society's concern for the condition of correspondence from and about explorers, the workshops examined the problems on the ground of preserving and making records accessible. Work on the Ministry of Agriculture's records demonstrated their development value and the need for a concerted training programme within the region.