Good governance, service delivery and records: the African tragedy

Abstract

A paper tasked to establish the relationship between records, good governance and service delivery, especially in Africa, runs into immediate definitional ambiguities. This is because good governance and service delivery mean different things to different African leaders. Moreover, even the most criminal and tyrannical regimes in Africa claim to be motivated by good governance and service delivery. This situation begs for a different definition of good governance based on shared universal values. The United Nations says that good governanceis accountable, is run by consensus, is transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. Using this international benchmark this author draws a relationship between records and good governance based on these United Nations characteristics.

Keywords: Good governance, service delivery, United Nations, accountability, transparent, records, Africa