To boost efficiency, profitability in postal service sector: P & T ministry drills stakeholders on best practices.

The stakeholders were drilled on the management of electronic payments in the system, regulations and formalities relating to objects in transit and cooperation between bodies present at borders and on national corridors in the postal logistic chain. 

This was during a four-day workshop organised in Yaounde. The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications last week.

The event focused on what the ministry described as the appropriation of normative frameworks for key players in the postal logistics chain.

It was chaired by the Secretary General of the ministry, Mohamadou Saoudi, who represented the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng. 

The gathering among others, brought together major stakeholders in the Ministry of Trade, that of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries and an expert from the Central African bureau of the Universal Postal Union.

Gathering decisive in standardisation efforts 

Speaking at the start of the event, Mohamadou Saoudi said the workshop which was the sixth of its kind, fell in line with the country’s quest to meet global standards in the sector as required by the Universal Postal Union.

He said gatherings of such magnitude have what it takes to help the country find solutions in building an efficient and flourishing e-commerce business in the postal service sector.

“The Postal Logistics Chain can be real lever for growth for the postal sector if, and only if, all the players agree to work together on a permanent basis to popularize the regulatory texts that govern this segment of activity,” Mohamadou Saoudi stated.

The official challenged the actors in the sector to continue multiplying efforts in creating the required environment to boost such needed collaboration between the institutions to give way for the required growth. 

He said the government is fully focused on ensuring that the envisaged target is met to ensure that not only the postal service within the country and other nations are bettered but trade on an overall scale, is modernized and improved.

Mohamadou Saoudi said among other things is the reason why the strategic state institutions like the Prime Minister’s Office is directly involved in the scheme to among other things ensure that recommendations from gatherings like the recently held ones are taken into account by hierarchy.

Hectic four-day seminar 

Several key issues considered as crucial in the postal logistic chain were discussed during the meeting with the facilitation and contribution of focal points and the representatives of some of the participating institutions.

The discussions notably touched on the presentation of the structures of the various services and administrations involved in processing and control of the importation and exportation of parcels and the presentation of the regulatory framework for the approval of measuring instruments and the regulation of tariffs.

The stakeholders also had their skills refreshed on the customs clearance and post-clearance checks on postal packages, small packages and parcels and the processes and controls involved in the handling of transit consignments. 

The discussions equally dueled on the formalities required and pre-registration of documents, the taxation, regulations and formalities relating to objects in transit and cooperation between bodies present at borders and on national corridors.

Regulatory demands on animal products, others 

The regulatory provisions relating to the exportation and importation of animals or products of animal origin, foodstuffs and plants, works of art were also tackled with focus among others on the conditions to be met, procedures to be followed, inspections and veterinary control.

The various provisions for penalties and risk management and guarantees in the sector were also discussed.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3246 of Tuesday October 01, 2024