Stakeholders in the courier industry drawn from Nigeria and Ghana have called for policies and programmes that will open up the West Africa sub-region to courier businesses.
The call resonated during the 5th Edition of Bowill Errands Limited Public lecture held in Lagos on Thursday.
Isaac Annan Riverson, executive secretary, Ghana Postal & Courier Services Regulatory Commission, identified the sector as being neglected by various administrations, especially as regards regional trade and courier industrial recognition.
Riverson, thus, called on the West African nations to make hay while the sun shines by creating postal and courier regulatory commissions to cater for the well-being of both the practitioners and the customers while adding value to the regional development. He noted that the industry has been mesmerized by multifaceted challenges however, technology is critical in addressing them.
Specifically, he noted that courier sector contains a minimum of businesses in Africa due to the indigenous companies’ inability to adopt technology hence the continued use of manual processes, thus, leading to general uncertainties of whether goods or items, trusted in their cares by the customers, are delivered and as when due.
“There is high level of incoherence in the manner some companies are handling items in their care. The inability of the indigenous companies to adopt technology, like tracking equipment has led to poor coordination, poor customer satisfaction and that entails on the sector as a whole.
“High quality service can be achieved through technology adoption. Thus, as we are clamouring for regional courier hub, various indigenous companies should be thinking on suing technology to grow the industry and entrench trust in the process,” he advocated.
Earlier, Mallam Mori Baba, postmaster general (PMG), Nigeria Postal Service, extolled Bowill for creating such platform for the industrial growth.
The PMG who was represented by Dr. Simon Emeje, Deputy postmaster-general, Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) and head of Courier Regulatory Department (CRD), said that Bowill Errand’s doggedness in the industry is paying-off as it has created awareness on the need for a postal regulatory Commission in the country to tackle numerous challenges facing the sector.
“It is good for us as an industry to grow together and achieve our aims together. Bowill has been a forerunner in that regards and we expect that the awareness created thus far will lead to something substantive for the sector in Nigeria. Ghana has share their experience and Nigeria will not be left behind,” he added.