By Alice A Kamara Esq.
The Parliament of Sierra Leone has today, Tuesday 10th November 2026, passed the National Records and Archives Bill, 2026, marking an important step towards improving how government records are managed, protected and preserved for future generations.
The Bill, presented by the Minister of Information and Civic Education, Hon. Chernor Bah, seeks to repeal and replace the Public Archives Act of 1965, introducing a modern legal framework for the management and preservation of national records and public archives in Sierra Leone.
Presenting the Bill for its Second Reading, Minister Bah reminded Members of Parliament that a nation’s records are an important part of its history and institutional memory.
He explained that without a proper system for preserving official documents, the country risks losing valuable information about past government decisions, citizens’ rights and important national events.
The Minister drew attention to everyday situations where proper record-keeping makes a difference, including a citizen seeking proof of land ownership, a young person trying to obtain a birth record, or a government institution attempting to retrieve documents relating to projects undertaken by previous administrations.
He explained that the Bill seeks to address these challenges by establishing clear standards for how public institutions create, store, manage, preserve and dispose of official records.
Under the proposed legislation, the National Records and Archives Directorate within the Ministry of Information and Civic Education will be responsible for overseeing records management standards across public institutions. The Bill also provides for the establishment of records centres in the administrative regions of Sierra Leone, ensuring that the preservation of important government documents is not limited to Freetown.
Another important aspect of the Bill is its recognition of electronic records. As government institutions increasingly move towards digital systems, the legislation provides a framework for managing and preserving records created or stored electronically, including measures to protect them against cyber threats, unauthorised alterations and loss.
The Bill also provides for public access to archival records, subject to lawful restrictions, and allows for the issuance of authenticated copies of official documents. These provisions are intended to make important records easier to retrieve and verify when needed by citizens, researchers and public institutions.
During the parliamentary debate, Members raised questions about the powers of the Director, the supervision of the Directorate, the digitisation of existing government records and the decision to repeal the 1965 legislation.
Responding to these concerns, Minister Bah explained that the Directorate had already been established following a review of the Ministry’s structure and Cabinet approval.
He clarified that the new legislation would give the Directorate the necessary legal authority to oversee and standardise records management across government institutions.
On the issue of digitisation, the Minister explained that the Bill would complement existing government efforts to digitise public records, including land and business registration records, by providing common standards for their management and preservation.
He also informed Parliament that the Records Management and Archives Policy, which provides further guidance on the management of public records, was approved by Cabinet in August 2025, launched by His Excellency the President in December 2025 and published in the Government Gazette on 26th October 2026.
Following the debate, the Bill proceeded to the Committee Stage, where Members examined its provisions and proposed amendments. It was subsequently read for the third time and passed by Parliament with amendments.
The passage of the Bill marks an important development in Sierra Leone’s efforts to improve public records management and protect documents that are essential to the country’s history, public administration and the rights of its citizens.
Once the remaining legislative formalities are completed, the new framework will provide the basis for a more coordinated approach to preserving Sierra Leone’s official records, ensuring that important information remains available long after the public officers and administrations responsible for creating it have left office.
