Government has introduced a new Postal Address System to ease service delivery, spur business and e-commerce for Ugandans.
The new system developed by young ICT Ugandans who were given financial help by government to develop practical IT solutions for the country. While launching the new postal address system in Kampala , the Minister of ICT and National Guidance , Ms. Judith Nabakooba said that it has been used to connect 49 out of 108 offices country-wide, thereby enabling quick and reliable exchange of information.
“The System has enabled on-line creation and management of Post Office Addresses (previously called P.O. Box Numbers) thereby easing fulfilment of the national law on registration of companies and lately, filing annual returns. Under Sections 115 and 116 of the Companies Act, it is a requirement for all companies to acquire and declare valid P.O. Box addresses prior to registration in Uganda. I am guided that the same requirement has been extended to filing of annual returns at the national agency, URSB,” the minister stated .
Nabakooba explained that while in the past Post Office had only about 80,000 physical addresses, which were fixed on the walls, with the new digitization, the Post Office now has capacity to offer limitless addresses.
“Posta Uganda has already created 1,050 digital addresses, and registration is continuing all over the country. The System has also enabled on-line payment, renewal, and amendment of owner’s particulars in case there is a change in the composition of Directors of a company. This is a significant milestone under the government’s goal of “ease of doing business”, and I want to use this opportunity to thank both Posta Uganda and CITZ the young entrepreneurs for their dedication,” Nabakooba said.
She said that government was committed to improve service delivery for the people . “ There are on-going efforts to secure budgets to create Government Service Centres in Post Offices, where our citizens shall obtain services conveniently, cheaply, and quickly. This is mainly because government already has Post Office buildings across the entire country. What has been lacking was connectivity.”
The minister said that the system has been tested and found to be secure. “ It allows for end-to end encryption through finger-printing to prevent hackers and fraudsters .
Nabakooba said that the new system will benefit other government agencies and departments and cited the example of URSB which has an MOU with Posta to expand its network and ease business registration and annual filing of the returns at Post office.
Niira , she noted could also use the system for Ugandans to apply national identity cards including but not limited to the issuing of driving licences and passports.
