World e-Parliament Conference 2016
#eParliament
28-30 June 2016 // Chamber of Deputies of Chile // Valparaiso
LEGISLATIVE DOCUMENT
MANAGEMENT
PARLIAMENT OF GHANA -
SHIRLEY-ANN FIAGOME
DIRECTOR OF ICT

Legislative Document Management
Parliament of Ghana
Currently not using any XML Solution
A donor funded project to implement a
document management system using XML
has been delayed.
With or without open data technologies the
need for an open and transparent Parliament
still exists. We use what we have to ensure
this.

Document produced and published on
the website
 Hansard – Official Report
 Order Paper
 Votes and Proceedings
 Business Statement
 Bills and Acts

How our Hansard is produced
 Two systems running concurrently
 Reporters sit in the Chamber
and record shorthand in 10 minute
shifts using Sony IC digital
recorders
 Transcription on their desktop
computer in Microsoft Word.
 The Audio Visual department
records and post 10 minutes takes
in a file share for reporters.
 A 40 minute take is also posted for
the sub editors who do the
collation.

The Hansard Processes

The Hansard Process Continued
 Final Document converted from
word to Pagemaker printed and
stapled.
 Placed in a shared folder.
 ICT department converts final
document to PDF.
 Document is posted to the
website, sent by email to MPs
 Document also loaded onto
Bosch DCN units in the
Chamber

Table Office Documents
 Order Paper
 Votes and Proceedings
 Business Statement
 Agenda

Documents are derived through a
consultative Process
 Final Documents
produced using
Microsoft word
 Converted to PDF by
table office
 Sent by email to MPs
 Uploaded to
Parliament Watch app

Bills and Acts of Parliament
 Bills are from the
executive
 Drafted by the AGs
department
 Printed and delivered
in both hard and soft
copies to the Table
Office
 Uploaded to the
Website
App
Bosch Multimedia
system in the chamber
 ACTS are published
and gazetted by the
assembly press.

Open & Transparent Parliament
 What we are committed to ensuring that
our Parliament is as open and transparent
as possible
 Instead of technology we must focus on
the processes, the human processes,
organization of staff, that they all know well
what to do and how to do.

Conclusion
 Due to the high cost of open data technologies
many legislatures cannot easily implement
systems that enable open data and have to
operate in the similar way.
It is important as conference participants that we
have to work together to make the access to the
technology better and sustainable, for example
through inter-parliamentary cooperation, and
technical assistance.