The former National Archives of Ghana, now the Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD), established the Northern Regional Administration (NRA) Archives under the authority of the Archives Ordinance of 1955 and Regulations of 1958 of the Gold Coast Colony to administer records relating to the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast. Under this directive, In 1961 the Northern Regional Coordination Council (NRCC) appointed late Mr. D.A Kumi (a trained archivist) to head the Northern Regional Archives with a responsibility to sort and organize the records scattered all over the three Northern Territories. Since then, the NRCC serves as a custodian and regional archival center for the Public Records and Archives Administration (PRAAD) regional branch with a function to preserve historical records and archives relating to the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast Colony. The NRCC office in Tamale hosts, preserves, conserves, and caters for the records and archives of enduring value emanating from the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast, which comprised the three regions of northern Ghana; northern, Upper West and Upper East Regions.
The material from this collection comprises documents from the Northern Regional Administration. These archives were created and maintained by the Chief Commissioners and District Commissioners during the course of administering the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast from 1911 to 1988. The collection was first assigned with archival reference number-ADM 1. This was later changed to RAT 1, and finally to NRG8. The records contained in this collection are classified into series and include Information Relating to Land; Chieftaincy and Native Affairs; Administrative Reports; Informal Diaries and Minutes of Meetings. The collection also contains document relating to domestic slavery in the northern regions.
The bulk of the original material is in poor condition. This condition is largely due to dryness, insect damage, mould water damage, staining, cracking and tearing.
