Tanzania shines on global postal stage

SWITZERLAND: TANZANIA has been elected to two key bodies of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), highlighting the country’s commitment to innovation and transformation in the postal sector.

The UPU Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council, to which Tanzania was elected, play crucial roles in recommending postal operations and promoting growth through modernisation.

According to the statement released by Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), Tanzania secured its seats during the recently concluded 28th UPU Congress held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which involved all UPU Member States.

The UPU, based in Berne, Switzerland, is the United Nations specialised agency for postal affairs globally. Tanzania is actively implementing programmes to transform its postal sector by fostering innovation and integrating information and communications technologies (ICTs) into service delivery.

These efforts align with the UPU’s strategy for Africa, which focuses on enhancing innovation, improving service quality, modernising products and digitising postal networks.

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The statement reads that the country is also developing infrastructure to support electronic commerce. Its policy and regulatory frameworks address key enablers for e-commerce, including critical infrastructure for high-speed internet and reliable payment systems.

“Tanzania’s national physical address and postcode systems improve service delivery by facilitating efficient government communication and programme implementation, contributing significantly to the success of the August 2022 National Census. These systems also support ecommerce by enabling precise delivery and pickup of goods,’ reads the statement.

Under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the government has linked the national address and postcode system with other social service platforms.

Online postal services are accessible via the short code 15200#. Poised to become a regional e-commerce hub, Tanzania has earned several UPU awards.

The country shares borders with eight neighbors, five of which are landlocked. To support regional trade, the national airline, Air Tanzania, is expanding its cargo fleet to serve Africa and beyond.