The 27th Universal Postal Union (UPU) Congress takes place from 9 to 27 August 2021 in Abidjan, the Ivory Coast.
The UPU is the second oldest institution in the United Nations System: the Ivory Coast has become the second African country to organise the event, after Egypt in 1934.
Representatives from all countries in the world are sharing their best practices and experiences in key challenges for postal services: e-commerce and global logistics, for example. But also the support to public policies to provide social, financial and digital inclusion services to their citizens.
A strategic opportunity for African nations, who can deepen the transformation of the postal services to support the development of social, economic and digital life in the continent.
The Post Office of the Future
A very interesting project is the prototype of a Post Office of the Future. Opened on May 21, it is an initiative by the Ivorian Governement to support the promotion of digital inclusion and the provision of innovative postal and financial services.
The Future of electronic commerce in Africa
A second project is called ecom@Africa: its aim is to position the postal network as one of the main e-commerce catalysts in Africa. The project is based on an integrated, inclusive, and innovative ecosystem of designated postal operators. The Ivory Coast has been chosen by the UPU as the e-commerce hub for Western Africa.
The Ivory Coast showed an average annual growth rate of 8% between 2012 and 2019, staying positive also during the pandemic. The Government Strategic Vision 2030 sees technological innovation as a key factor to transform the country’s economy and improve productivity.
