The Federal Government has unveiled the Universal Postal Union’s (UPU) operational readiness for e-commerce to boost operations of the postal sector.
The Minister of Communications & Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, unveiled the Universal Postal Union’s (UPU) operational readiness for e-commerce 3 and remuneration at a workshop on Tuesday in Abuja.
Pantami, who was represented by a member of the Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST), Mr. Mainasara Abubakar, said the workshop was necessary due to the rapidly changing nature of the traditional mail business.
“ The advent of the digital economy as well as the navigation of consumers’ demand among multiple channels of communications are key factors changing the way the postal business is conducted.
“ These, therefore make innovation a critically important option for business survival and prosperity,” he said.
The minister said with the role of digitalization, the postal service sector as a critical infrastructure had assumed a greater dimension.
According to him, the post can contribute significantly to socio-economic development, job creation and poverty reduction, provided that postal reforms carried out by governments were based on appropriate economic analysis.
In his address, the CEO of NIPOST, Mr. Adepoju Sunday, said the workshop aimed at ensuring that African postal administrations compete with other postal outfits worldwide.
Sunday also expressed gratitude for the support NIPOST had received from both the UPU and Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) to host the workshop.
According to Sunday: “This workshop is to evaluate the operational readiness for e-commerce 3 and remuneration by African postal administrations.
“ And to establish the need to take decisions and make policies that will accelerate positive reforms toward ital readiness for e-commerce.”
He also said digitalization was changing supply chains and how customers were buying online.
“ These innovations are fostering considerable changes in posts’ strategic objectives by requiring them to reevaluate their predictability, transparency, security, and efficiency to meet new customer requirements,” Sunday said.
The representative of the D-G of UPU, Mr Amadou Amadou, said the workshop was borne out of the successful implementation of past regional operational efficiency and e-commerce projects 1 and 2.
He said the UPU would implement the operational efficiency and e-commerce project 3 during the year 2022 – 2025.
“ The aim of the project is to assist postal formations to modernize their operational processes and use available IT standardized tools and last mile delivery systems,,”Amadou said.
This, he said, was to implement operational solutions that meet regulatory and operational requirements.
“ In this context, the UPU International Bureau had developed capacity building and technical assistance projects to coordinate and improve the digital capacity and capability of the post.
“The integrated approach of these projects aims to help postal administrations modernize digital tools and implement digital solutions, which meet e-commerce requirements,” he said.
According to him, successful implementation of the project will contribute to further growth of the e-commerce market by improving their last mile delivery reliability and providing consumers with increased visibility.
“ This is achievable through message exchanges and more customer-oriented solutions.
“ The focus of the project will be on improving efficiency and e-commerce development hence the title of the project “Operational Efficiency and E-commerce Development,” he said.
NAN reports that the workshop had stakeholders in the postal sector across Africa in attendance from the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union, among others.
