Communications and Digitalisation Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has touted the country’s enviable postal system to over 1,200 representatives from various countries worldwide at the 27^th Congress of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. 

The Congress of the UPU, an event held every 4 years, is underway in Abidjan, the 2nd of its kind to be held on Africa soil.  The first took hosted by Egypt in 1934.

The Congress is an assembly of over 192 Plenipotentiaries representing various governments to explore the dynamics in postal services post-Covid-19 era and emphasise the relevance of Postal services even in these challenging times.

Delivering a speech at the Congress, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful noted that with the rapid and overwhelming demand for the digitalisation of media and channels of communication, there had been great pessimism over the future of traditional media, institutions, and communication systems, including postal systems. 

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said, whilst postal services continue to dwindle in some societies, some Generation Y segment of people who have never had any postal transaction continues to rise.

The MInister said amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the world had witnessed the widespread switch to virtual activities hence the prominence of digital and social media. 

Nonetheless, after all these changes, she noted that there are services, processes, and business models that haven't changed with particular reference to the Postal establishment, whether in Africa or across the globe.

Sharing the state of Ghana’s Postal Service to the numerous representatives of governments at the Congress, the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation said the relevance and the resilience of the postal system have not changed during this pandemic.

According to her, many people had to turn to Ghana Post for the delivery of foodstuff to their old folks in the remotest parts of the country, with others relying on Ghana Post for the conveyance of particular local food, herbal and medicinal items that were considered helpful with Covid-19 prevention to their family members abroad. 

Stressing that this new trend since 2020 has remained stable and continues to date, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful emphasised that Ghana’s drive to digitise postal operations, strategies to grow mail and courier volumes, and addressing Programme have not changed. 

Admitting that the Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the foundation of postal operations, she noted that the post is still vibrant.

“....even though the pandemic has shaken the very foundation of our existence, some aspects of our postal operations have witnessed a high level of stability and may serve as a basis for the future improvement in our service delivery efforts. It is a truism that the more things change, the more they stay the same. While we innovate to improve efficiency and effectiveness, our core business of connecting people stays the same. The post is here to stay,” Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.

Accompanying the Minister are James Kwofie, Managing Director of Ghana Post; Robert Ezekiel Asiedu; Head International Affairs of Ghana Post; Hamdaratu Zakaria, Executive Secretary for Postal and Courier Services Commission; Sulley Lugey; Director of Post at the MoC&D, Jonathan Ansah; Chief Commercial Officer of Ghana Post and Magnus Amoa-Bosompem; Monitoring and Standardisation Manager at the PCSRC.