Projects and Products: Fostering Trust and Transparency in Governance:
Investigating and Addressing the Requirements for Building Integrity in Public Sector Information Systems in the ICT Environment

The project, which began in 2007, addresses an issue that affects governments worldwide: the crucial importance of managing records in the information technology environment.  The focus of the study is pay and personnel records. Payroll control and procurement are the two major areas of government expenditure most vulnerable to misappropriation, and payroll control is, therefore, a highly significant issue for all governments. The project provides an opportunity to explore the management of paper records as inputs to financial and human resource management information systems, the management of electronic records as digital outputs and the links between them. It also involves examining the degree to which the controls and authorisations that operated in paper-based systems in the past have been translated into the electronic working environment.

The primary geographical focus of the study is east and southern Africa, and two significant regional bodies are participating: the East and Southern Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) and the East and Southern African Association of Accountants General (ESAAG). Three countries from the region (Zambia, Lesotho and Tanzania) have hosted case studies, and comparative studies are being carried out in West Africa (Ghana) and Asia (India).

The findings should help to support the availability of accurate pay and establishment information for cross verification between computerised and paper-based systems and will provide the basis for developing generic good practice guidance and capacity building materials. In a broader sense, the expected outcome of the research is that governments will have an increased ability to build the infrastructure and capacity needed to manage paper and electronic records as accurate and reliable evidence in electronic environments.  Their ability to measure progress toward accountability will be enhanced, and there should be a higher success rate of e-governance applications.

The products, which will be available without charge, will include:

a route map for moving from a paper-based to an electronic information environment

good practice guidance (both generic and in relation to pay and establishment records) on policies, standards and resources required to capture and preserve electronic records

indicators for auditors to help define the strength of records control systems

ten core training modules on the management of records in electronic form.

The project is managed and delivered by Research Team under the guidance of a Steering Committee.

Project Documentation

As the project progresses, the products will be added to the website. 

Research Toolkit

A Research Toolkit was prepared at the outset of the project to guide the research process.

Monthly Progress Reports

Short progress reports are issued to the Steering Committee each month: 

Feb/Mar 2006	April 2006	May 2006	June 2006
July 2006	August 2006	September 2006	October 2006
November 2006	December 2006	January 2007	February 2007
March 2007	April 2007	May 2007	June 2007
July 2007	August 2007

Steering Committee Meetings

December 2006

Annual Reports

March 2006 to April 2007 [PDF Adobe Reader (122 KB)] [Microsoft Word (403 KB)]

Case Study Reports

Most of the case studies have involved two visits.  A report is produced when the case study is complete and is sent to the government concerned for clearance.  The case studies listed below have been carried our or are planned.  These studies have focused primarily on pay and personnel records, although there has been some attention to teachers’ records and land records also will be examined in India. 

Lesotho (9 to 28 July 2006) [PDF Adobe Reader (150KB)] [Microsoft Word (430 KB)] [Plain Text (76 KB)]

Ghana (6 to 25 August 2006, 26 February to 9 March 2007)  to come

Tanzania (9 to 27 October 2006; 14 to 29 April 2007)  to come

Zambia (21 January to 3 February 2007; 19 to 30 March 2007) to come

India, State of Karnataka (14 to 31 May 2007)  to come

One more case study, on court records, will be carried out later in 2007.

Stakeholders Meeting

A small stakeholders meeting for representatives from the African case study countries was held in June 2007 by video conference. 

Educators’ Forum

A meeting of educators and members of the Project Team is to be held at the University of Botswana in July 2007 to plan the good practice guidance material and the training modules.

Training Modules

to come

Good Practice Guidance

to come

Indicators for Auditors

to come