The Zanzibar national archive: Achievements problems and future prospects

This is a study on the Zanzibar National Archive focusing on its achievements, problems as well as its future prospects. The aim of this study was to examine how far the Zanzibar National Archive was fulfilling its goals. Data collection in this study was done using questionnaires, interviews and direct observation. A total of forty respondents including teachers, students, archive staff, and researchers were involved as the sample for this study. The results showed that most members of society were aware of the usefulness of the Zanzibar National Archive though there were some obstacles that in one way or another hinder them from accessing the services provided by the institution. These included poor skills among the staff members; shortage of some essential equipment, poorly motivated staff, unreliable power supply and other related ones. This situation has led the Institution to be in such a poor condition that it sometimes even fails to operate.