Ghana investment Fund for Electronic communications(GIFEC) has come to an agreement with Ghana Post to convert over 360 dormant post offices into ICT centres in a twist that could indicate an end to the traditional postal services.
GIFEC CEO Kofi Attoh however said the Post Offices set for conversion into ICT centres would not only revive the Ghana Post but would also benefit those looking to use the facilities.
Atto added that the post offices set for conversion would remain the property of Ghana Post to conduct other postal transactions. The move is viewed as the Government of Ghana’s bid to transform the struggling sector.
“You can even pay your bills – electricity, water and other things can be paid and cued-in and messaged directly to Accra; this will rather expand the scope of Ghana Post because this time people don’t post letters”, said Attoh.
The remote communities living in the underserved regions are expected to benefit from the projects.
GIFEC has introduced intervention programs aimed at making Internet accessible to educational institutions since the beginning of the year.
This is however seen to set a precedent for layoff of staff within the postal sector across Africa.
In Kenya, the postal services have recently experienced a lot of heat from the technology growth as some of its traditional services have been replaced by the technology-based services.
The Kenya Postal Corporation of Kenya has experienced a drastic decline in the volume of letters posted. According to the 2012 Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) report, the number of posted letters in the third quarter dropped by about four million, or 15.21 percent, from the 24 million posted in the previous quarter.
The CCK which released the report attributed the decline to the stiff competition the sector faced from other ICT service providers.
The decline of postal services can be attributed to competition the sector faces from service providers with efficient and less expensive means of communication, the report says.
