(Ecofin Agency) - On October 9, 2016, which was the World Post Day, Ivorian minister for Post and Digital Economy, Bruno Nagbagné Koné told local posts of the importance of adopting digital technology. According to the official, not doing so given the actual global digitalization context would lead to no good place. 

He thus urged Ivorian postal companies “to go beyond their traditional mission that is collecting, moving and delivering packages and items, to become actual global actors, vectors of innovation and local development”.

The minister advised postal services providers to turn toward digital solutions, to use the internet to get closer to customers and offer them customized and faster services, to modernize the post saving system and use mobile or internet payment modes to modernize postal orders, to provide ICT-based value-added services such as e-commerce and to interconnect post offices with the internet for more dynamic services.

The Pan-African Postal Union (PAPU) also wishes to see post companies, not only in Cote d’Ivoire, but in Africa generally, adopt digital. In its strategic document for the development of innovative solutions for Post in Africa entitled “Vision 2020”, the PAPU said Africa’s post sector offers services of low quality and lacks innovative solutions, blaming these for consumer losses it has been recording for the past few years. It also said it was why 3 out 4 post offices in Africa show negative results.

The African post association believes digital will help revive Africa’s post sector.

  Muriel Edjo