Greater emphasis to be placed on Post Offices in 2018 – Hughes

As the Public Telecommunications Ministry prepares to re-commission the Kitty Post Office today in observance of World Post Day, greater emphasis will be placed on the traditional method of communication.
Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes disclosed that “in this year’s budget, we have put some funding and opportunity for the refurbishing of some of our Post Offices”. She added that Post Offices in the hinterland were ideally positioned to provide more services than they currently were.

A new payment system for Post Offices is being explored, following approval of the budget by the Finance Ministry. The Minister cited the Caribbean, where customers were no longer required to physically go to a location to collect money. Instead, the funds are transferred to their bank accounts; in the case of Guyana, it can be transferred to their Mobile Money account.
Hughes lamented the neglect of Post Offices around the country, under the previous Administration. She noted: “Very little investment has been made in the Post Office for decades. Many of you know because many of you have grandmothers and grandfathers that go to use the Post Office and, therefore, I am embarrassed that the level of service we provide, the fact that something as simple as providing a space for them to sit down while they wait, (is not there)”.
Minister Hughes underscored the importance of Post Offices As hubs for various services such as applications for passports, birth certificates, and business registration; also the prompt delivery of items ordered online to customers’ doors. She added that once the Post Offices reinvent themselves, they would be able to provide fast, reliable service.
World Post Day 2017 will be celebrated today, October 9. The Day aims to increase awareness about the postal sector’s role with regard to helping people and businesses every day.