The Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA), or the National Archives of Liberia, has handed over 16 Hunter motorbikes to county coordinators as part of efforts to enhance their functions and improve service delivery across the country.
The motorbikes were procured through government budgetary support under the Agency’s Staff enhancement initiative.
The first phase of the handover ceremony, which was held at the CNDRA’s Headquarters in Sinkor suburb of Monrovia, saw seven of the Center’s County Coordinators receive motorbikes along with other office and stationery materials.
Among the counties represented were Bong, Grand Bassa, Bomi, Montserrado, Margibi and Nimba.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony recently, CNDRA Director General Hon. D. Nelson Bearngar said the items were acquired to enhance the work of the Agency, particularly for employees operating in rural areas.
Mr. Bearngar: “The motorbikes would help ease transportation challenges faced by county-based staff and enable them to be more proactive in carrying out their duties, including efforts to generate additional revenue for the government”.
He estimated the cost of the 16 motorbikes at more than US$14,000 and disclosed that the second phase of the initiative will include the presentation of a bus intended to address transportation challenges faced by Agency employees.
He indicated that the Center will provide fuel for the motorbikes, while their proper management and maintenance will remain the responsibility of the respective CNDRA County Coordinators.
Mr. Bearngar reiterated that the digitalization, decentralization and human capacity development remain key priorities of his leadership, pledging to do everything possible to improve the Agency’s services to the public.
Speaking on behalf of the County Coordinators, Margibi County Coordinator Madam Suah D. Johnson thanked the Agency’s management and the government for the support.
Madam Johnson pledged that the County Coordinators will use the motorbikes and other materials for their intended purposes, and vowed to work to provide quality services to the public in their respective counties.
She described: “The provision of the motorbikes as a total blessing and a transformative step for the Agency that marks a new era for the Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA), and its County Coordinators.
About the Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA)
The Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA) is the national archives of Liberia. It was founded in 1977.
It was headquartered in a purpose-built building on Tubman Boulevard in the Sinkor section of the city of Monrovia until 1992, when it was forced to move to the Old Executive Mansion on Ashmun Street.
During the First Battle of Monrovia in the First Liberian Civil War in 1990, the archives were looted and many of the documents were destroyed or damaged. Some were salvaged and relocated to the nearby Old Executive Mansion.
In 2004, it was reported that the archive’s staff were making a valiant effort to preserve the salvaged materials but were nearly overwhelmed by the mass of materials and lack of current training, preservation materials, and funding.
At the time, the Center for National Documents and Records, Presidential Archives, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archives were separate.
