Africa-Press – Botswana. Government’s steadfastness in the development of post offices is meant to ensure that such facilities continue to be strategic contributors to the socio-economic development of the country as more government services are planned to be availed at the postal outlets in future.
Minister of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Mr Thulagano Segokgo said this when officiating at the opening of the newly refurbished Moshupa Post Office that was done in partnership with the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA).
“Government remains resolute at ensuring that post offices take part in economic inclusion, hence the need for building such an infrastructure,” he said.
Mr Segokgo indicated that as government was committed to ensuring delivery of financial services to the people, the revamping of Moshupa Post Office was a deliberate move to the realisation of such a strategy.
He noted that government, through the post office, was obligated to bring services to the people, adding that in the near future, marriage registration and identity documents renewal would be some of the services provided by post offices, amongst other existing services such as vehicle registration.
To that end, he noted that the Moshupa Post Office was anticipated to deliver efficient and improved services to the 38 000 residents and neighbouring villages.
He added that the mission was to further establish post offices in the nearby villages as a way of alleviating congestion at the Moshupa Post Office.
“I wish to plead with the residents to take proper care of the building and ensure proper utilisation of the resource to their benefit,” he said.
He further thanked BOCRA, the village leaders and the community at large for having taken heed of the development.
Meanwhile, Mr Segokgo advised them to take advantage of government programmes that are aimed at uplifting their lives, citing the new Chema Chema initiative, describing it as a revolving fund for the informal sector aimed at transforming the informal sector to create employment.
Mr Segokgo further encouraged them to find out more about the initiative and take advantage of such funds with a view to improving their livelihoods.
For his part, BotswanaPost CEO, Mr Cornelius Ramatlhakwane shared that the opening of the newly renovated post office was a move to a step closer to growing the postal network in a bid to fulfill the global standard of postal access.
He noted that the official opening of the Moshupa Post Office and several others preceding it was a concerted effort towards the development of postal footprint, adding that enhancing the physical presence and reinforcing the connection with Batswana continued to be a crucial element of the stakeholder relationship management.
“With each post office opening, be it newly constructed or refurbished – we move a step closer to growing the postal network in a bid to fulfill the global standard of postal access,” he said.
“The global standard states that every 18 000 people should have easy and convenient access to a post office.
As we work towards this criterion, we simultaneously execute our strategic goals; the opening of newly constructed and refurbished post offices, which form part of the execution of our property development plan under our Innovation for Sustainable Growth strategy,” he said.
While enlightening about the Poso Mall concept, he said the concept was an exciting development from the post office that was made through their Innovation for Growth strategy (ISG), adding that they endeavoured to develop commercial centres in the form of small malls anchored by post offices and other strategic service providers.
“Poso Malls provide for multiple essential services, making it convenient for the communities by reducing costs of travel, reducing risk of accidents and saving time for customers,” he said.
Mr Ramatlhakwane added that the Moshupa Post Office was undoubtedly a key player in the community, playing a multifaceted role within the Moshupa community and neighbouring villages within the district.
“Moshupa has been serviced with postal services dating back several years ago.
Having served the community of Moshupa, the Moshupa Post Office was due for refurbishment as the previous building had been outgrown by the developments of the village.
Therefore, this necessitated the need for the refurbishment of the Moshupa Post Office,” he said.
He added that with the refurbishment of the post office, the building was now vastly improved, meeting the needs of the community.
The refurbishment entails an extension of the previous building and ensures safer conditions for service provision for the wide and diverse postal clientele.
“Previously, Moshupa Post Office had two service countres and these had been increased to five.
The extended and refurbished post office now boasts an air conditioned banking hall that is cognisant of the extreme temperatures, larger village population, especially in light of the disbursement of Department of Social Protection funds done in this branch,” he said.
Furthermore, he noted that Moshupa Post Office was now equipped with three public toilets, inclusive of one designated for people with disabilities.
Also noteworthy is the addition of the branch manager’s office for purposes of improving working conditions of postal employees and offering discretion as and when needed for certain services.
“A key focus during this project implementation was local economic empowerment.
We actively prioritised the use of as many local products and service providers as possible in the refurbishment of the post office as well as the conducting of this official opening event.
To that end, let me congratulate Aobakwe Mokolokota of Atmos Star who was our contractor for the project,” he said.
Mr Ramatlhakwane indicated that BotswanaPost would continue to ensure that postal services accessibility was improved and postal services broadened to keep up with the ever dynamic market, thus, positively impacting the lives of individuals and communities by making their day to day lives easier.
“Our dedication remains steadfast – to expand our physical presence, embrace digital innovation, and foster strategic partnerships for the betterment of the communities in which we operate,” he said.
In conclusion, Mr Ramatlhakwane expressed gratitude to partners, stakeholders, and the community of Moshupa for their support in making the post office opening possible.
“We remain committed to delivering innovative, reliable, and accessible postal services that meet the changing and growing needs of our communities,” he said.
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