On the side-lines of the celebration of 40 years of UPAP, a high-level forum was organized in Arusha on January 17 on the theme: La Poste, a veritable partner for financial inclusion and regional integration.”
The Conference of African Union Ministers of Finance and Economic Development approved by Resolution L12 in March 2014 in its 7th meeting the attached paper including 4 main business models for postal financial services and 10 strategic principles.
The Pan African Postal Union is a sub entity of the African Union and a regional entity within the UPU. It has limited means but is actively pursuing and promoting the reforms and transformation towards financial inclusion.
In summary, at the end of the Forum, participants must have known and understood the potential role of the post in bolstering regional integration and financial inclusion in Africa. Thus, the goals of this forum are as follows:
- Understand role of the post in the pursuit of political and economic integration which includes free movement of persons and goods/services as well as establishment of Continental Free Trade Areas, among others. Strategies to achieve these activities may include introduction of measures to boost e-commerce and electronic transfers for trade promotion, etc.
- Establish the link between the post and its contribution towards socioeconomic development on the continent via financial inclusion initiatives.
“The role of the postal operator is to develop partnerships that will lead to innovativeness, inclusiveness and interoperability” PAPU’ Arusha declaration of 17 January 2020.
The event is now also partially on YouTube: