Symbolic significance of Papu’s $21 million building to African postal services

Arusha. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has hinted at what should be done to resuscitate the ailing postal administrations in Africa.

Speaking after officiating at the official opening of the $21 million Pan African Postal Union (Papu) Tower here, she said that facilities within the building should be used to turn around the postal services on the continent.

“Use the building as the focal point for supporting postal services in Africa”, she said as she inaugurated the complex, which will serve as the headquarters of Papu.

She regretted that postal services in many African countries have literally died, apparently after being seen to have no relevance.

However, she stated that the sector can somehow rebound with the opening of the state-of-the-art complex dedicated to the development of postal services.

Besides serving as Papu’s permanent seat, the massive 17-storey structure in Arusha city will house regional offices of communication-related bodies in Africa.

These include offices for the Universal Postal Union (UPU) for the Africa zone (English-speaking countries and Mozambique).

Locally, it will have zonal offices for the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA), which partnered with Papu to put up the multi-million-dollar structure.

President Hassan said Papu should use the facilities at its headquarters to spearhead the revival of postal services in Africa.

Although she attributed the decline of postal businesses to emerging digital technologies, some were due to a lack of support from their respective governments.

Additionally, a number of African states have failed to remit their mandatory contributions to Papu, the very organisation that was established to spearhead the growth of the postal sector.

“I am told that some Papu member countries have not paid their dues for as many as 30 years,” she pointed out.

However, President Hassan challenged the postal administrations in Africa to change in tandem with new technologies and market needs.

She said the new Papu complex, fitted with all manner of smart technologies, should be used to promote e-commerce on the continent.

She added that, as a host country, Tanzania has streamlined its postal services as it believes the sector still has relevance for socio-economic development.

A host of legal and policy frameworks have seen a revamp in the operations of the state-owned Tanzania Posts Corporation (TPC).

The relevance of the postal services can also be seen with the national physical address system initiated since last year’s population census.

The opening of the Papu Tower marked exactly 23 years since a decision was made by African ministers to give the organization a permanent home.

Tanzania, as a host country, is a partner in the investment project with 40 percent shares through TCRA, while Papu owns 60 percent shares.

It was at 11:23 am when President Hassan opened the complex, which will have modern conference rooms, rented office space, and shopping outlets.

Speaking during the well-attended event, Papu Secretary General Sifundo Moyo said the body was passionate about the modernization of the postal services in Africa.

He said Papu, which is a specialised agency of the African Union (AU), would embrace digital technologies in that pursuit without ditching traditional services.

He told the Head of State and a host of dignitaries that the new headquarters building, “with its architectural finesse,” should be used to rejuvenate the continent’s postal sector.

“Papu Tower is here to spearhead the digital transformation of Africa’s postal sector,” Dr Moyo said, noting that with “decent office space,” it would generate the needed revenues.

According to him, efforts were underway to lobby and encourage nine African countries to join Papu which currently has 45 member countries out of the 55 AU member states.

President Hassan also unveiled the stamps issued by the postal administrations of Tanzania, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Zimbabwe to symbolise the opening of the Papu seat.

Also in attendance was Mr Masahiko Metoki, UPU secretary general, who lauded the Tanzanian government for its affirmative support of the postal sector.

He said he was in Arusha during the laying of the foundation stone for the building on January 18th, 2020, and that it had taken less than four years to be completed.

UPU is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates postal policies among member nations in addition to the worldwide postal system.

The organization also oversees the Telematics and Express Mail Service (EMS) globally and was established in 1874 at the height of the Industrial Revolution.

A decision to establish Papu was made in Arusha on January 18th, 1980 during a meeting of ministers responsible for communications in Africa. The meeting was held in Arusha.

However, it was until October 1984 that Tanzania signed a host headquarter agreement with the AU granting legal and diplomatic status to operate from Arusha as its permanent seat.

The 17-storey Papu Tower now dwarfs other structures as the tallest building in Arusha, only one floor taller than the recently completed Ngorongoro Tourism Centre in the heart of the city.

The complex will also host a premier post office and TPC (Tanzania Posts Corporation) while the Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL) has booked a large space for its services.