African Postal Service providers urged to embrace new technology
Communications Minister Bates Namuyamba has called on postal service providers to embrace new technology if they are to improve customer service and increase their profits.
Speaking when he officially opened a two-day Pan-African Postal Union workshop under the theme ‘The Post and New Technologies’, Mr Namuyamba called on the African Postal Service Providers to embrace new information communication technologies (ICTs) if they wanted to improve their customer service.
He said the global world required latest information for a smooth business transaction and thus the need to increase efficiency in the sector.
“We live in a society where access to information lies at the heart of most human activity and information about goods and services is increasingly driving global markets. The posts in Africa must realise the importance of applying modern technology to improve the quality of their services,” Mr Namuyamba said.
He said timely delivery of information could only be done if the postal service providers computerised their counter service operations to enhance tracking of mail, security and increase efficiency.
He also called on them to introduce value-added services like hybrid mail and e-mail to allow customers to send letters and documents electronically.
The minister called on the postal services in Zambia to open up Internet cafes in all branches to cater for the ordinary people.
“The post should also take advantage of its wide-spread network to introduce Internet cafes or kiosks in the post offices that will benefit the ordinary citizens,” Mr Namuyamba said.
And speaking at the same function secretary general of Pan-African Postal Union (PAPU) Mr Jilian Ben Haddada said his organisation was committed to elevating the standards of the post offices in Africa.
Mr Haddada said the post offices in Africa had a big role to play in the development of the continent.
He called on the postal service providers to embrace new technology if they were to operate competitively in the world.
He encouraged the participants at the workshop taking place at the Taj Pamodzi hotel to take advantage of the workshop to find ways the African posts could move forward.
And speaking at the same occasion, Post-Master General Mr Chewe Lupili supported the need for African postal services to embrace new technology because it would increase their efficiency.
He said there was need for African posts to tag along with the rest of the world since the posts in the world were inter-linked.
The workshop attracted several regional postal service providers, representatives from Universal Postal Union (UPU) based in Switzerland and the African UPU regional advisor.
