Arusha hosts 42nd PAPU Day

On Tuesday, 18^th January 2022, the serene and picturesque city of Arusha, headquarters of the Pan African Postal Union (PAPU), hosted the 42^nd anniversary of the establishment of Africa’s flagship postal body, founded on 18^th January 1980 following a decision by Heads of State and Government of the then Organization of African Unity (OAU). The core theme of this year’s edition, namely “Harnessing synergies with players of the wider postal sector”, is in sync with the proposed opening-up of the Universal Postal Union, which has been and remains a centerpiece of the global postal agenda in recent times.

The event was presided over by the Deputy Minister of Information, Communication and Information Technology of the United Republic of Tanzania, Honourable Eng. Kundo Mathew, who was flanked by the PAPU Secretary General, Mr. Sifundo Chief Moyo, and his Assistant Secretary General, Mrs. Jessica Ssengooba. Accompanying the Honourable Deputy Minister were the District Commissioner of Arusha; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry in charge of Postal Services of Zanzibar, Mr. Amour Babari; the Director General of the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), Dr. Jabiri Bakari; the Chief Executive Officer of Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF), Mrs Justina Mashiba;  the Postmaster General of Tanzania Posts Corporation (TPC), Mr. Macrice Mbodo , among others.

The curtain raiser of the celebration was a parade by staff members of PAPU, TCRA, TPC, the Association of Courier Service Providers of Tanzania, as well as students of Patandi Teachers’ College and pupils of St Gemma School. The procession marched in the streets of Arusha city and ended at the premises of the PAPU General Secretariat.. The climax of the day was the PAPU Day message delivered by the PAPU SG and the guest of honour’s speech presented by the Deputy Minister. Building on the theme of the celebration, the PAPU scribe urged postal organizations continent-wide to forge mutually-enriching partnerships with like-minded players of the industry. In his keynote address, the Deputy Minister echoed the call for all postal stakeholders to focus on building symbiotic relationships that will develop the postal industry, particularly in the areas of electronic commerce and services, thereby contributing to breathe new life into the broader digital transformation agenda.

These remarks were followed by a vote of thanks delivered by the Chairperson of the Association of Postal Services Providers of Tanzania and a visit to the PAPU House construction site.