Malawi Posts Corp best performing parastatal -Minister
Lilongwe: Malawi Posts Corporation (MPC) is currently one of the best performing parastatals as revealed by Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture, Kondwani Nankhumwa.
The information minister made the assertion Tuesday in Lilongwe in an interview on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the 33rd Ordinary Session of Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) administrative council meeting where he was guest of honor.
According to Nankhumwa, the viral spread of internet services in the country which came along with electronic mailing (email) raised fears of putting MPC postal services on the verge of extinction but the postal parastatal managed to adapt to the new technology and has since used it to enhance its service delivery.
He said; “This threat that came along with the internet was however not Malawi’s alone but a shared one across the African continent and hence the crucial role that PAPU plays in providing a platform where the countries can converge and share success stories, challenge curbing strategies and strategise way forwards.”
He was however quick to caution that much as such success has been registered, there are still challenges to be overcome in order to further enhance the parastatal’s operations in delivering services of deserved quality to the people.
In a separate interview, Postmaster General for MPC, Andrew Kumbatira concurred with the minister disclosing that his organisation’s success follows creative and innovative adaptation to new forms of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He said electronic services such as cash transfer, a means of sending money which operates through internet, and the establishment of internet services in some MPC centres are some of the adaptations that have brought about the success.
He however complained that there were challenges such as lack of adequate financing which according to him affects the organisation’s operations.
The PAPU meeting is being held at Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) under the theme “Postal Regulation; Stimulating Growth and Quality of Service Improvement” and it is being hosted by the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) along with MPC.
