Postal Service Providers Challenged On Vigilance

Stiff international competition is forcing Africa’s postal service providers to reinvent themselves to remain relevant communication market players.

Speaking at a nine-day cost accounting seminar that started on Tuesday at the Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala featuring several countries, the Minister of State for Information and Communication Technology, Mr John Alintuma Nsambu, called on the African postal industry to be dynamic to accommodate challenges of market liberalisation, globalisation and technological advancement.

“This predicament has been a result of globalisation, market liberalisation and technological advancement not only in Africa but the world all over,” Mr Nsambu said.

He said the government supports the cost accounting techniques to promote efficiency within the industry.

The seminar is part of a training programme coming amid years of reform of Posta Uganda to turn it into a modern customer-orientated company.

Posta Uganda Chairperson Aisha Lubega said: “This new outlook has enabled us to put in place new processes and procedures for our operations, design new products and services that suit our cliental requirements and also equip staff with modern skills and knowledge.”

She said the workshop will address the operational costs of the company which will increase the level of efficiency.

Acting Managing Director Posta Uganda Emmanuel Mulooki said cost accounting seminar will help Posta Uganda to monitor and evaluate its expenditures.

“The cost account unit will provide information about the performance of each business unit and solutions to those areas that are not performing up to standard”, said Mr Mulooki.

He applauded Universal Postal Union for holding this seminar in Uganda as one of the English speaking countries.

The Regional Advisor Universal Postal Union for the English speaking African Countries Ms G.R. Mutyavaviri said implementation of cost accounting systems is one of the strategies being adopted to assist postal organisations in pricing their various products and services.

Participants in the seminar have come from Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Others have come from Ghana, Nigeria, Swaziland, Zambia and Ethiopia.