The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) has said it will roll out the pilot phase for the national address and post code project in December this year beginning with Blantyre.
Macra director general Godfrey Itaye said this in Ntaja, Machinga on Thursday on the sidelines of the World Postal Day commemorations.
He said once fully operational, the project will enhance service delivery in the posts and courier industry following the introduction of a comprehensive system of property location, numbering and mapping and associated processes.
In his remarks, Minister of Information and Communications Technology Malison Ndau said government is committed to revamping the sector in the face of technology advancements.
“We are banking on the physical and addressing code project, which should enhance service derivery in speeding up delivery of parcels when this is introduced,” he said.
A representative of Malawi Courier Operators, Mirriam Mzanda, said the vast courier network and varied product portfolio has ensured that postal remains the most accessible communication platform in the country.
She said: “We have seen in other parts of the world where new and more innovative solutions have increased the opportunities for improving business processes in the post and courier operations.
“Electronic commerce is steadily taking root in the country with the facilitation of the linkage between traders and consumers.”
To mark the World Postal Day, Macra, in partnership with the country’s postal and courier operators, contributed financial and material resources towards the connection of power and medical supplies, including beds and mattresses, steriliser and oxygen concentrators worth K7.8 million to the Mkwepere Health Centre.
Machinga district nursing officer Getrude Ngwali Banda said the donation will help in addressing some of the numerous challenges the health centre has been facing.
She called for immediate intervention in the network and transport challenges rocking the health centre.
World Postal Day is celebrated each year on October 9, which is the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern.
It was declared World Post Day by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) congress in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.n
