Doyen of the Congress, Mr El Jilal Antari,
Chairperson of the 25th Universal Postal Union (UPU) Congress, Mr Abdulrahman Bin Ali Al Aquili of Qatar
Director-General of Universal Postal Union, Mr Edouard Dayan Honourable Ministers Chairperson of the Council of Administration, Ambassador Bashir Hussein Chairperson of the Postal Operations Council, Dr Andreas Taprantzis
Leaders and representatives of international organisations
Representatives from regional organisations
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors of the UPU member states Regulators, captains of the postal industry Distinguished delegates of the UPU Congress
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am grateful to find myself in such esteemed company this morning. Information and communications technology (ICT) has had a profound impact on the everyday lives of the world’s citizens and its effect on the future of the postal sector has challenged its traditional role. This has posed the following questions:
- To what extent can the postal sector enhance its postal products and develop new products and services utilising ICTs?
- To what extent will traditional postal products and services be challenged by broadband Internet and related ICT services and products?
With respect to my first question, I do believe through international cooperation we have been successful in developing the global network utilising modern ICT solutions. The shared products and systems developed by the UPU have helped drive the global interconnected postal network and reduce costs. The international postal network has become faster and more reliable through technology such as track and trace and international payment systems.
In short, the global postal system remains a key part of the global economy However, to make this system truly universal, continued efforts are required to embrace the development of Postal services in developing countries, which are exhibiting strong rates of economic growth. Services that can be delivered through the postal system utilising ICTs, have shown great potential in African and many other countries.
This includes providing ICT solutions for international remittances. The South African Post Office has in fact developed its own solution, which is compatible with that offered by the UPU. With respect to my second question, the impact of technology will affect countries at different rates and in different ways. Whilst it is accepted that in this age of emails and mobile telephony, letter post is declining in many countries, in South Africa the reserved area is a profitable business.
Internet penetration is still low in my country. But this is going to change quite quickly, because through the implementation of our Broadband policy we intend to ensure the provision of universal broadband access by 2020. This may impact on the letter post business in South Africa in the longer term, but we are also looking to develop the postal service through mail order services and parcels and other modern postal products.
Greater Broadband access also opens up new avenues of business with online shopping and the subsequent delivery of goods providing, but one example of this. As a political leader responsible for the postal sector, my preferred starting point is to take a positive approach: how can the sector best contribute to the welfare and development of our people, and how can the postal service improve the efficiency of our economy?
South Africa, along with other countries, has contributed to the work of the UPU on the development of National Address Systems. GPS technology has assisted us in providing addresses to people living in shacks, where there are no formal roads.
The benefits of the provision of addresses extend beyond the provision of postal products.
They extend our ability to reach out to underserviced and remote communities, enabling us to provide a range of services to people who have until now been excluded. Our Post Office is also looking at developing a number of other products, such as hybrid mail, registered emails, authentication services for electronic contracts, virtual post offices, and through the Post Bank it will be possible to look at mobile and internet banking. In Africa we have young populations eager to adopt new technologies. Some African countries are fast becoming centres of ICT innovation.
Using ICT solutions combined with extending the reach of the postal network, the postal sector can provide a focus for innovators and entrepreneurs to create new technology based products and services that are relevant to our needs. We can look to develop services of value to rural businesses, and as we extend our reach as a postal network, we can also extend the reach of rural communities to market and sell their products. The current global environment demands innovation amongst postal operators, one which can be facilitated by the UPU.
