Botswana Post: Postal policy coming
The Minister of Communications, Science and Technology Mrs Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi is expected to officially open a two-day National Postal Policy stakeholders consultative seminar in Gaborone.
The purpose of the seminar is to solicit public views on the policy. The ministry says in a press release that the development of the event follows public concerns that the lack of a policy hampers service delivery and infrastructure development.
Consequently, the draft policy will interrogate the need to define a structure for governments vision in terms of service provision in the postal sector.
The seminar will be held under the theme: Postal Policy-Responding to challenges of postal services in the digital age.
It will include presentations and discussions on the review of the ICT Sector in Botswana, an overview of the Postal Sector, the evolution of the Global Postal Sector and review of the Regional Response to Growing Globalisation of Postal Networks and Services.
The ministry says the digital age is believed to have had adverse affects on the role and function of the postal services throughout the world and Botswana is no exception.
The introduction of electronic communication services, such as the Internet, e-mails and SMS messages, has impacted negatively on postal services.
However, it says, the postal service remains an essential tool in delivery of goods in this era of e-commerce, in exchange of information, particularly to the underserved communities countrywide.
In line with Vision 2016 objectives and the draft National ICT Policy, the ministry says, Botswana Post can be used as a platform to effectively reach out to the communities countrywide, as it has the facilities and experience to provide universal services.
In addition, it says BotswanaPosts postal network can be used to house Kitsong Centres which are community communication and business centres.
The release further states that in many cases, post offices also serve as banking outlets for the Botswana Savings Banks and that many Batswana use them to remit money to their kith and kin around the country or the Western Union to transact money outside the country.
