LocationsWhat if the Public Service Digitalization Revolution Started from the Court of Auditors?
April 25, 2025
Arquives stored at the court of auditors before digitalization
What if the Court of Auditors' digitalisation could solve a long-standing issue in Guinea-Bissau: the lack of an efficient system for managing public servants? The difficulty in organizing and accessing information on recruitment, appointments, and career progressions has had a significant impact on public administration, making processes slow and lacking transparency. Since all these procedures go through the Court of Auditors, modernizing its document management system not only improves internal efficiency but also addresses a structural need of the State.
At the heart of this transformation, the UNDP Guinea-Bissau Accelerator Lab, in partnership with the Democratic Governance team, financed by People of Japan, is leading an initiative that goes far beyond simply digitizing documents. Using the Accelerator Lab's methodology, the approach is based on learning cycles, systemic experimentation, and iterative solutions to ensure that this process is not just a one-off project but a scalable prototype for the broader modernization of public administration.
Lead arquivist Mr Iaguba Djalo in trainning session with the court of auditors technical staff for digitalization
From Exploration to Experimentation: A New Paradigm in Digitalization
For decades, the Court of Auditors accumulated a growing volume of physical documents, making storage space insufficient and quick access to information increasingly difficult. The inability to locate old records and the deteriorating condition of documents compromised both work efficiency and the preservation of essential data for public administration.
To address these challenges, the Court adopted an innovative solution: the full digitalization of its document archive. More than just converting paper into electronic files, this transformation reorganizes how data is classified, stored, and used—optimizing resources and preparing the institution for the future.
In this project, the Accelerator Lab relied on collective intelligence and user-centered design, enabling the testing and refining of solutions through learning cycles and real-time feedback, ensuring greater effectiveness and sustainability.
Stack of categorized records conducted by technicians before digitalization
Digitalization improves the management of public information by eliminating physical files and facilitating quick access to essential data. It also integrates new tools that better structure information, allowing for evidence-based decision-making.
The process was carefully planned, starting with the rigorous classification and organization of documents to ensure efficient retrieval and research. Once digitized, files are reviewed, validated, and integrated into the document portal, creating links between older and newer records. This careful archival process ensures continuity and historical coherence in the Court's records.
Systemic Impact and Potential for Scale
The Accelerator Lab's approach emphasizes that innovative solutions must be adaptable, replicable, and sustainable. As such, this project is not limited to modernizing one institution—it creates a model that can be applied across public institutions, generating a positive and systemic impact on document management and access to public information.
The digitalization of processes at the Court of Auditors could become a catalyst for change in the public sector, enabling the creation of integrated databases, greater automation of administrative processes, and improved human resources management.
Court of auditors technicians using high resolution scanners for digitalization of records
The work carried out by the Accelerator Lab, funded by the People of Japan demonstrates how an approach rooted in open innovation and rapid learning can produce lasting solutions to structural public administration challenges and help build a new paradigm of digital governance in Guinea-Bissau.
The transition to digital is not just a change of tools—it is a change in mindset. With this in mind, the Court, by embracing digitalization, reinforces its commitment to a more modern, efficient, and transparent public administration, showing that even the most complex challenges can be overcome with creative and well-structured solutions.
With this transformation underway—also an investment in efficiency, sustainability, and innovation—the digitalization of public service is becoming a tangible reality, promoting greater accessibility and transparency in the country’s governance.
What if we applied this model to other sectors of public administration? Which areas could be revolutionized and benefit from this approach? The journey of the Court of Auditors, which succeeded in transforming challenges into lasting solutions by modernizing document management and accelerating public service digitalization, may just be the beginning.
A Court of Auditors technician digitizing physical records as part of efforts to ensure digital preservation and improve access to information
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