WINDHOEK – Four government offices will from this week run a pilot project on an 'Electronic Documents and Records System' (EDRMS), after the Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Amathila received state-of-the-art electronics software products from the Chinese government.

The equipment was handed over last Wednesday through the Chinese Embassy in Windhoek.

The office software products, that cost the two governments U$5.3 million, is specifically designed by a respectable and reputable Chinese office software manufacturing company in Beijing.

By setting up such an office, Namibia will ensure a risk-free records' and archival system for the office of the prime minister and the country's public service.

Namibia through the office of the prime minister approached the Chinese Embassy with a request to assess the country's software development on an electronic records and documentation management system way back in October 2005 after a cabinet retreat resolved that the OPM should embark on various ICT initiatives that will enhance capacity building and improve service delivery to the people.

Handing over the product to the Namibian authority, Chinese Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, Jiang Yaoping, reiterated his government's commitment towards the improvement of the existing bilateral trade and business relationship with Namibia.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Libertina Amathila, who received the product on behalf of the government, said she was confident that the implementation of the EDRMS would significantly help improve and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Namibian Government in records management and other related developmental efforts.

"We are equally confident that with the expertise of both the local team and the Chinese consultants, the EDRMS project and its products will be implemented successfully," she said.

Amathila further said that more than N$7 million will be spent over the next two years (2009/10), on the training of staff members in ICT usage skills at the University of Namibia (Unam) and the Polytechnic of Namibia, to deal with demands that the policy directive will require.

Sara Negumbo project manager of the EDRMS, said the fours offices running the pilot projects, attended two week e-office training in Beijing/China and all passed with high marks.

The teams from the pilot project, she said, attended another refresher course in Windhoek earlier last month. Under her wings are two ICT advisors, two archival advisors, one administration advisor, and two office assistants. Five more staff members will be recruited.

Training will be ongoing in order to implement the project with success.

The Chinese team, with Mathew Wang as project manager complemented by two senior application consultants and a senior software engineer, will for the long term set up a permanent office in Windhoek for support services and for skills transfer of the e-office product.

During the course of this week, the teams will be requested to complete the EDRMS questionnaire, indicating the current workflow in their offices, records category and filing system being used. Both teams will after this conduct the Conference Room Piloting action, - that is to create the real working environment of the e-office and to ensure that the final system developed on e-office, meets the EDRMS requirements.

The Conference Room Piloting (CRP) will simulate all the filing processes to test and evaluate current workflow and find ways for workflow optimization. The pilot project is executed by the offices of the Prime Minister, President, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration.

A number of senior government officials from both countries, including Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Ren Xiaoping were present at the ceremony.

by Fifi Rhodes,

New Era Newspaper