Mozambique Post Office urged to be more flexible

Mozambique’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Tomas Salomao, has recognised that mismanagement by the former board of directors, and the absence of new information technologies, are at the root of the financial crisis currently faced by the Mozambican Post Office. Speaking at the closing session of a meeting of the Post Office National Council, Salomao said the company should accompany technological changes and make use of the fact that it still has offices throughout the country. He argued that there are various services the Post Office could introduce to guarantee its sustainability – these include introducing internet and e-mail services to areas currently without them, and establishing savings posts, particularly in areas that have economic potential but no banks. Salomao brought no promises of any extra money from the state, and called on the company to be more flexible and to seek out private sector partners.

“Since Mozambique is a poor country, with most of its population living in the countryside, without access to telephone, let alone the Internet, the postal services continue to play an important role”, he stressed. Post office revenue does not cover the company’s costs, and a large debt has been run up. The average monthly costs are 4.2 billion meticais (about 176,000 US dollars), but average income is only 3.7 billion meticais a month. The company’s debts currently stand at 6.2 billion meticais.