The Records and Archives Management Division was established in 1999 through the Government Notice Number 289 of 1999. Through this notice, the Government transferred the National Archives of Tanzania from the Ministry of Education and Culture to the President ’s Office, Public Service Management. However, the initiatives to effectively manage the records and archives started in 1963 when the President issued Circular No.7 which emphasized on the proper care and disposal of public records. The newly independent Tanzania saw the importance of proper records and archives management in order to implement effectively the new roles. For that reason, the government established the National Archives of Tanzania in 1964, and subsequently enacted the National Archives Act No. 33 of 1965. This Institution was mandated to safeguard the archives of the United Republic of Tanzania. In 2002, the Government decided to repeal the National Archives Act No. 33 of 1965 by enacting a new Act known as the Records and Archives Management Act. No.3 of 2002. The decision to repeal the Act was based on the fact that it covered only the management of non-current records and the current records were left without a legal backing. This Act therefore, established the Records and Archives Management Independent Department with the purpose of providing proper Administration and better management of public records and archives throughout their life cycles. Since 1999 it has been operated as a department under the President ’s Office, Public Service Management until February, 2015 when new structure was approved by His Excellency; President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Under this new structure, RAMD has its own Vote (Vote 04) with four (4) Divisions and eight (8) Units.