Center for National Documents and Records Agency's Five-Year Strategic Goals (2025 - 2029)

The Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA), Liberia’s National Archives, has developed Five-Year Strategic Goals for 2025–2029 to modernize the institution, preserve Liberia’s national heritage, and improve public access to government records and services. The strategy identifies inadequate infrastructure, limited funding, poor storage conditions, insufficient ICT capacity, and limited decentralization as major challenges threatening the preservation of national records.

The plan is organized around five strategic goals:

1. Infrastructure Enhancement: Renovate the CNDRA headquarters, National Library on Ashmun Street, Tubman Library & Museum in Harper, and Tubman Library for African Culture in Robertsport. It also proposes constructing a modern multipurpose Records Center in Monrovia for preservation, research, training, exhibitions, and library services.
2. Digitization, Decentralization and Customer Service: Digitize the Agency’s largely analogue holdings, strengthen digital records management, upgrade ICT infrastructure, expand services to the remaining 14 counties, improve customer service, establish a modern website and media platforms, strengthen preservation and pest control, improve transportation, and provide proper shelving and storage.
3. Oral History Collection: Develop a national oral-history program covering all 15 counties. This includes training interviewers, identifying and vetting narrators, establishing policies for collection and preservation, and collecting, recording, and digitally preserving historical accounts, photographs, and related cultural information.
4. Capacity Building and Institutional Development: Strengthen staff capabilities through specialized training, professional development, study tours, and partnerships with regional and international archival institutions. The plan also calls for improved financial and project management, stronger institutional policies, and alignment with international archival standards.
5. National Library System: Develop public library services in Montserrado County through construction, staffing, management systems, collection development, equipment, ICT infrastructure, and online research resources.

The document estimates that implementing the five goals over five years will require US$12,653,243.67.