National Posts Office (NPO) is venturing into electronic money transfer in order to cope with the growing competition in postal and courier industry.

The Director General NPO, Celestin Kayitare, said the system which is in its pilot phase is being developed at regional levels in the continent and that it will also harmonize operations with players in the region.

"We are trying to shift from our traditional paper work and incorporate new technologies in everything we do,” he said, noting that NPO posted Rwf124m in profits, last year, compared to Rwf23m in
2008.

Kayitare added that post office money transfer will provide lowest charges compared to current tariffs charged by money transfer companies.

Ibrahim A. Aligurey, the Country Manager, Dahabshill money transfer Rwanda, said that: "The major constraint in the sector is that money transfer is done in dollars which makes the charges for transfer a bit high.”

Celestine Mugabo, a businessman, believes that post office’s venture in money transfer will help improve its services that many of its clients have complained about.

Kayitare believes the Post Office will stay put in the technology driven sector through venturing in internet, development of a server that will connect together ministries and government parastatals to ease communication and improvement of the postal service deliveries.

Kayitare, however, called for immediate regulation of the postal sector, in general, to create efficient service delivery and fair competition.

"We believe that this stipulation in the new law governing Rwanda Utilities regulatory Authority (RURA) to also regulate the postal sector will require every player in the sector to be licensed,” he said

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