He disclosed that UPU was founded to ensure the organization and improvement of postal services and provide technical assistance in the form of training equipment and materials to member countries.

According to him, there is the need to remember the fundamental values of the post and the numerous public services it offers to people everywhere, which contribute to the economic development of countries.

The managing director, speaking on the theme, 'the post, an invaluable public service worldwide,' indicated that it is a clearly challenging theme since the postal industry globally is going through a dramatic change, where the old and traditional ways of delivering messages is steadily reducing due to advent of technology.

He explained that the sector plays an indispensable role in the lives of people and emphasizes the noble objective of bringing people and nations together.

He hinted that currently while personal letters have reduced considerably in terms of volume, parcels are on the rise as a result of the growing popularity of e-commerce, with the post being the preferred outlet to distribute these items.

'Whatever is sent through e-mail is eventually delivered by post, making it an irreplaceable means of delivery. According to the UN, migrant workers make up to 3 percent of the world's population, together with their fellow citizens who benefit immensely from a wide range of services including reliable and secure money transfer at a reasonable cost, he noted.

He indicated that today 40 percent of transfers sent via the UPU worldwide electronic payment network are destined for people in the rural areas. The introduction of Western Union, Money Gram International and money transfer in post office enable migrants to receive remittances from outside their own jurisdiction.

Gideon Quarcoe, Deputy Minister of Communications indicated that each day over 600,000 post offices handle more than 438 billion letters and 6 billion parcels in addition to a vast range of electronic, financial and logistics services.

Even with the barrage of attacks targeted at the post, it still continues to play its role as a final delivery of any mail or parcel, he added.

He said the government is mindful of the tremendous role being played by the postal industry in the communication sector.

By Portia Anaman