New PAPU scribe takes command

New PAPU scribe takes command

Mr. Sifundo Chief Moyo is the new Secretary General of the Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) since 1^st September 2021. He took over the reins of the Union yesterday from his predecessor, Mr. Younouss Djibrine, who had led the General Secretariat for the last two quadrennial cycles. The official handover ceremony was presided over by the Chairman of the PAPU Plenipotentiary Conference, Dr. Jenfan Muswere, Minister of ICT and postal and Courier Services of Zimbabwe.

In his keynote remarks as guest of honour, Dr. Muswere paid tribute to Messrs. Younouss Djibrine and Kolawole Aduloju, outgoing Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General respectively, for their outstanding leadership and remarkable accomplishments at the helm of the Union’s executive organ.

To the new Secretary General, who will be seconded by Mrs. Jessica Ssengoba, the Chairman of the Conference remarked that “You have a lot to learn from your predecessors, so I urge you to consult them. There is more work to be done for the digitization of the African Posts to materialize… Africa is one continent and therefore the harmonization of policies, regulations and development of common positions is key to consolidate the sustainable growth of the sector. Your focus should be on implementing all the resolutions adopted in Victoria Falls and on defending Africa’s postal growth. This should be underlined by the digitalization of the postal sector. The fusion of ICT in the sector will improve service delivery and efficiency and meet customer needs and demands.”

 Speaking thereafter, the new Secretary General announced that “my tenure will be dominated by the push for the transformation of postal companies and digitalization of postal services across the continent. Technology solutions are available to us for deployment but we need to pool our resources together and get favourable supply conditions based on the economies of scale that we do offer… I restate that I will diligently and wholeheartedly execute my functions and duties to make the Pan African Postal Union great and a force to reckon with in the continent and beyond. We will practice good corporate governance and be transparent in carrying out our duties. The PAPU brand has to be strengthened further and stand out amongst other global brands supported by positive testimonials from satisfied postal customers across the continent.”

The ceremony was also graced by the Tanzanian Minister in charge of ICT, Dr. Faustine Ndugulile, who lauded the outgoing team for their achievements and wished the incoming leadership every success in their mission. He pledged his country’s unflagging and unstinting support as headquarters of the Union since its inception. Taking the floor, Mr. Isaac Gnamba Yao, Chairman of the PAPU Administrative Council and Postmaster General of Côte d’Ivoire Post, reassured the incoming administration of the full support of the Union’s second highest organ. Proceedings were concluded with a visit to the PAPU House construction site, where the project’s current state of progress was applauded by all.

A specialized institution of the African Union (former OAU) responsible for spearheading postal development in Africa, PAPU was founded in 1980 with headquarters in Arusha (Tanzania), following a decision by its inaugural Plenipotentiary Conference, which was attended by 35 OAU member countries from 8^th to 18^th January 1980 in this same city. Since then, its membership has grown from 35 countries originally to 45 today.