By Priscilla Phiri
October 8, Lilongwe, Mana: Central Region Manager for Malawi Posts Corporations (MPC), Bernard Kamphandule, asserts that the corporation has maintained its relevance amidst technological advancements in the country.
Kamphandule made this statement on Tuesday at Lobi Post Office in Dedza, during a tour in preparation for the commemoration of World Post Day.
He emphasized that in 150 years of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), MPC has successfully delivered mails and parcels both nationwide and worldwide, among other services offered in the country.
“MPC has made E-Commerce easy in Malawi, as you know many people order goods online from other countries and for the goods to get here they require our services.
We also offer reliable and affordable courier services in all our 180 post offices that we have here in Malawi including the rural areas which are hard to reach by other courier services, so you can see that we are still active and relevant in our service to the people of Malawi,” he said.
Kamphandule further mentioned that MPC has formed strategic partnerships with institutions that align well with their core values by offering services on their behalf to clients across the country.
“MPC has also partnered with financial institutions like NBS and First Capital Banks where we offer their services at our offices on their behalf whereby people are able to withdraw money, access and service their loans as well as make deposits.
“Through estate agents, we have also managed to let out our spaces in some of our offices to NEEF, NRB among other organizations which has benefitted Malawians as well as MPC,” explained Kamphandule.
Post Master for Lobi Post Office, Francis Chiwaya, noted that despite the country’s technological advancements, business is still thriving at Lobi as the office remains operational in the area.
“We want Malawians to know that developing technologically does not negate the relevance of Post Offices, MPC is still operating and for those that are not yet able to send mails electronically, we are here to serve them diligently,” he said.
Chiwaya further elaborated that some residents at Lobi Trading Center still utilize the post office for sending job application letters, parcels, and accessing financial services provided through MPC’s partnership with NBS Bank, among others.
During the tour, MPC delegates also visited Kawale Post Office in Lilongwe, where they met Evelyn Chalira, a Biwi resident, who accessed NRB and NEEF services within the Post Office premises.
Chalira appreciated MPC’s partnership with other institutions, stating that having all services operating under one roof saves time and money that could have been spent commuting from one office to another.
World Post Day is commemorated globally on October 9th each year. This year, the commemoration is taking place under the theme ‘150 years of enabling communication and empowering people across nations’.