Tanzania Picked Again to Host International Event

By Deus Ngowi

TANZANIA has been picked, once again, to be the host to a distinguished international event, this time welcoming over 500 delegates who will be attending the 40th anniversary of the Pan African

Postal Union (Papu).

The convention, which draws people from 45 African countries, including representatives from the Universal Postal Union (Upu) globally, will also offer time for exhibitions at Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) effective from January 17-19.

Scheduled for next month, the event opens opportunities for Tanzanians from different sectors of the economy to do business, increase their incomes and improve their standard of living.

Minister for Works, Transport and Communication Isaac Kamwelwe said it was a great honour to the country.

Speaking at AICC headquarters on Sunday afternoon, Mr Kamwelwe said the 40th anniversary of Papu was a vital moment for the country and Papu itself as it was an opportunity to evaluate its performance.

"It's an opportune moment for officials from the 45 countries and those beyond the continent to share experience with regard to Papu since its inception in 1980 under the auspices of the Organisation of African Union (OAU) now African Union (AU).

With the theme: ' A Veritable Platform for Financial Inclusion and Regional Integration', Mr Kamwelwe said the three-day event would be a great honour to Tanzanians as it was the case when the country hosted the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit early this year and other sectoral meetings taking place in the country.

"Preparations for this event are in top gear under my ministry and other stakeholders. I call on Tanzanians to utilise this opportunity and do business out of that. Let Tanzania's flag be hoisted high in Africa and indeed across the world," said Mr Kamwelwe.

He revealed that in attendance would be senior officials such as ministers, ambassadors and high commissioners, postmaster generals, directors of regulatory authorities and managers of different institutions and organisations, suppliers of postal equipment from Africa and beyond and many others.

Mr Kamwelwe stressed the importance of postal services especially the great job and great strides made by Tanzania Posts Corporation (TPC) which he said was encouraging to see its big results, as apart from providing services globally, it gave the government of Tanzania a dividend annually.

TPC has wider networks worldwide socially and economically, connecting with over 600,000 post offices and agencies worldwide while at home it boasts of having 173,000 postal boxes for its clients.

He said under the fifth phase government, TPC had turned out to be even a more efficient link between the government and members of the public.

He mentioned some of the services as distribution of election materials at various levels, pension to retired officers, loans to students through the Higher Education Students' Loans Board (HESLB ), dissemination of information as regards shares of individuals or entities in different companies.

Mr Kamwelwe hailed the TPC for its efficient work in setting up postcodes so that every ward has one, simplifying transportation of goods and offering services.

In turn, he said, on top of all that more jobs had been created. The three-day meeting will see the launch of the construction of a new Papu headquarters in Sekei Ward.