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The meetings of the 2021 Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) Plenipotentiary Conference and the 39th Ordinary Session of the PAPU Administrative Council kicked off at the majestic Kingdom Hotel in Victoria Falls today.
Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services, hailed participants for coming to the conference against all the odds that come with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his keynote address, Minister Muswere highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic has put pressure on international postal supply chains to unprecedented levels. He revealed that cross-border exchanges, for example, decreased by 21% between 23 January 2020 and 14 May 2020, compared to the same period the previous year.
“As supply chains have been strongly disrupted worldwide, the weakest links of the postal network have been exposed and that should be taken as a blessing in disguise. This, therefore, calls for us especially the working committees, the Administrative Council included to put our heads together and come up with lasting solutions so that the Post continues to be relevant even after the pandemic. Designated operators working together with respective governments should put more effort into revolutionizing the whole postal sector.
“The UPU, ladies, and gentlemen, has never left us as PAPU or as individual governments to do it alone. The umbrella body is always working with us to ensure that the Post remains relevant. Our sister country, Ivory Coast, is tipped to become the e-commerce hub for West Africa through the “ecom@africa” project being funded by Universal Postal Union (UPU). It is up to us to initiate such developmental projects in our countries and the UPU will never leave us alone when we meet challenges along the way,” Minister Muswere said.
He alluded to the ecom@Africa project – an initiative of the UPU that aims to accelerate the development of e-commerce through the postal network. This project includes, among other things, the construction of a national express logistics centre in the airport area. Minister Muswere said the move reflects the UPU’s determination to position the postal network as one of the main catalysts for e-commerce in Africa, based on an integrated, inclusive, and innovative ecosystem composed of designated postal operators.
“With this support and encouragement, ladies and gentlemen, I have no doubt that the Post in Africa will eventually equate the Swiss Post, Austria and Germany which were ranked top by The Universe of Data Statistics in 2020 as the most efficient postal services.
“I want to challenge our Administrative Council to continue working to improve the Post here in Africa taking advantage of this support and also the Guides that are continuously being published by the UPU. The UPU Guide on Postal Social Services, for example, is really something to embrace and I am impressed that some of us are already partakers of this. Many of the services detailed in this Guide directly support progress towards achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably those relating to poverty reduction (SDG 1) and equality (SDG 10),” the ICT minister added.
He commended the Administrative Council for encouraging members, Zimbabwe included to implement the Customs Declaration System (CDS). CDS is an interoperable customs declaration system, which allows EDI CUSITM and CUSRSP messages to be exchanged between Customs and designated operators so that customs formalities can be completed prior to the arrival of postal items. The system has many benefits that include, reduction of handling times and increased throughput, improved communication between designated operators and Customs, a framework for security alerts, and support integration with e-commerce systems. This is a clear indication that work is being done and that the post is getting into business in accordance with the dictates of the new world dispensation.
Speaking on the same occasion, Dr. Gift Machengete, the Director-General of the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) said the Posts are positioned as the future.
“That future depends on organisations such as PAPU, which are mandated to ensure postal sector survival, transformation, and development in the midst of new and emerging technologies. That future depends on our ability as PAPU member states to turn the threats to the postal sector created by new and emerging technology into opportunities,” Dr. Machengete said.
He hailed the fact that contemporary postal services have embraced ICT technologies and applications in their business models as the traditional mail business has become less and less viable.
He brought to the fore the fact that the post office of today is the hub for e-commerce, e-government services, and digital postal financial services.
“The Post office of today has embraced digital mail trace and track technologies, robotics in mail sorting, artificial intelligence in customer service, and the internet of things in security, among other things. As technology evolves at an astronomical pace, so should the postal sector, such that it remains in sync with future technological trends and patterns. The sector should also champion innovation rather than chase and adapt to innovations from other sectors. Such an approach would certainly guarantee the postal sector’s survival into perpetuity.”
The Director-General of POTRAZ commended PAPU member states for maintaining unity and safeguarding the ethos of Pan Africanism.
“Be reminded, ladies and gentlemen, that through our unity as Africans, the rifts created by slavery across the continent have failed to separate us, the borders strung by colonialism across the continent have failed to divide us. Our resolve to bridge the development divide remains strong, our passion to break barriers remains unhindered, our will to uplift our continent remains resolute. A round of applause for ourselves.
“Be reminded too, the words of the founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford, that “Coming together is the beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success.” The symbiotic relationship between collaboration and success is, therefore, evident. Therefore, as we have all come together as postal sector stakeholders, let us now work together to ensure this Administrative Council meeting and Plenipotentiary Conference come to their successful conclusions.”