Postal services must create new revenue avenues – Communications Minister

With its extensive national networks, Communications Minister, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has said the postal services have a unique opportunity to partner in the e-Commerce revolution to create new revenue streams.

Speaking at the West African postal conference on Wednesday in Accra, Owusu-Ekuful said “looking at the future and the implementation of more sustainable business delivery models, post offices can increase revenue through the provision of financial services including personal loans, credit cards, savings and insurance products.”

Africa’s e-Commerce market is projected to reach between US$ 50 billion and US$ 75 billion per year within the next five to 10 years according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Owusu-Ekuful observed that as technological innovations continue to be the driving force of digital disruption and re-shaping dynamics between sellers and consumers, Africa has leapfrogged the rest of the world to become a mobile first market.

“The postal service must take advantage of its wide distribution across the country and maximise its role as a front office for government services and wider financial services,” she explained

Post offices, from the largest in the urban cities to rural outposts, continue to provide an essential interface for citizens.

In Ghana, in recent times, the transition from traditional postal services to a postal service enhanced by digitisation is underway.

With the right investment in ICT, human resourcing and infrastructure, effective regional integration, enabling policies and regulations, postal services can effectively navigate the digital transformation and not only survive in the emerging e-Commerce driven landscape but thrive by continually innovating.