Uganda re-elected to PAPU Administrative Council

Uganda has been re-elected to the 2016-2020 Administrative Council of the Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) for a second term.

The elections took place during the 9^th Ordinary Session of the PAPU Plenipotentiary Conference held on July 23, 2016 in Yaounde, Cameroon.

PAPU is a specialised agency of African Union (AU) established in 1980 to spearhead the development of postal services in Africa. It has 43 members and its headquarters are hosted in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Plenipotentiary Conference is a supreme policy making body of PAPU comprising ministers responsible for postal services in member states.

This body meets every four years to consider and approve a four year program of action, the budget ceilings for the four year cycle, elect the Secretary General, the Assistant and the Administrative Council among others.

The Administrative Council, to which Uganda has been re-elected, meets annually and is responsible for the running of the affairs of the Union between conferences.

Uganda’s delegation to the 9^th Ordinary Session in Yaounde, Cameroon was led by Honourable Idah Nantaba, the Minister of State for Information, Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and Communication.

In her remarks to the plenipotentiary conference, Hon. Nantaba informed the gathering that the Government of Uganda recognises the importance of the postal sector in socio-economic development and is thus committed to strengthening the relevance and contribution of postal services by bringing on board all stakeholders to implement the three (3) I”s (Innovation, Integration and Inclusion).

This, she pointed out, is key to the transformation of postal services from the basic delivery services to the three dimensional postal services that combine physical, electronic and financial services.

Uganda’s re-election to the PAPU Administrative Council will enable us to influence the development of policies, regulations and identification of priorities in the plans for the progression of the organisation and the postal industry as a whole, taking into consideration the local challenges experienced in Uganda.

Uganda welcomes the vote of confidence demonstrated by the members of the 2016-2020 Administrative Council in electing Uganda to Vice Chair of the Finance and Administration committee of the Council.

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) carries the responsibility conferred upon it under the Uganda Communications Act of 2013, to represent Uganda’s communications sector at national and international fora and organizations relating to its functions and to coordinate the participation of any interested groups.

In fulfilment of this, UCC shall continue to collaborate with Uganda Post Limited and other stakeholders in the postal industry to successfully engage and advocate Uganda’s interests in the Union.