Posta has sealed a Sh72million agreement with TradeMark East Africa that is set to revolutionise its e-commerce operations locally and regionally.
Under the deal, the corporation is set to improve its digital services through enhanced internal digital capacities.
It will also benefit from improved collaboration with external, both regional and global actors, in the e-commerce space.
Dan Kagwe, the Postmaster General and CEO of Posta said the partnership was a historical moment for the institution, as TMEA becomes one of its partners.
“It is a great beginning that will open doors for Posta to work with diverse stakeholders and access the potential that exists in the East African region,” said Kagwe.
Notably, the country and region at large have over time experienced a rapid shift from traditional mail, money order, and stamp sales to the growth of e-commerce and packages below 10kgs that are relatable to SMEs.
Anataria Uwamariya, the Director Business Competitiveness at TMEA said Posta is an ideal partner to enhance the logistical nature of their interventions to enhance e-commerce ecosystems across the region, especially through its last mile delivery capabilities.
The lucrative deal funded under the improved business competitiveness strategic objective of TMEA’s Export Capability programme, seeks to facilitate increased trade capacity of targeted businesses through increased use of technology to boost regional trade and linking businesses to international markets.
Against the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic, Posta is keen to tap into the growth of small parcels and e-commerce items within the postal systems from an average 1800 items every four days in 2018 to 2300 per day in 2021.
As part of the partnership, the corporation intends to increase its capacity to process 10,000 packages daily to provide an efficient logistics and distribution platform for e-commerce entrepreneurs and customers. BY THE STAR