Accra (Greater Accra) 26 June 2003 - The Parliamentary Select Committee
on Communications has said that the Postal Services Regulatory Commission Bill
would provide a platform for fair competition, enhance postal and courier
services and protect consumers' interests.
The Committee, therefore, recommended the passage of the Bill and for
the Ministry of Communications to ensure that appropriate administrative
mechanisms were devised by the Commission to implement the Committee's
recommendations.
Akwasi Afrifa, Chairman of the Committee, said this when he moved for
the second reading of the Bill in Parliament on Wednesday. He said Ghana as a
member of the Universal Postal Union was challenged to ensure that postage
remained the most accessible means of communication.
The Chairman said with the conversion of the Ghana Post into a limited
liability company in 1999, the company was enjoined to operate on a competitive
basis so that together with other courier operators the demands of the public
would be met.
Afrifa said the rationale for establishing a regulatory body,
therefore, stemmed from the need to provide a platform for fair competition
among the various operators and to protect the interest of consumers so that
the public would benefit from its monitoring role to ensure that standards of
the universal postal services were strictly adhered to.
The object of the Bill is to establish a body to licence and regulate
the operation of postal and courier services in the country and to designate a
national postal service provider.
The Chairman said the independent Commission would also secure the
upgrading and expansion of postal services within a technologically innovative
and competitive environment.
Afrifa said the Committee noted that by its designation, Ghana Post had
a degree of monopoly over a weight limit of 100 grams of universal service
items, thus it was necessary for the Commission to have oversight of the
pricing of stamps to protect consumers from unfair monopolistic pricing.
The Committee noted that the list of prohibited articles listed in the
Bill could not be deemed as exhaustive, therefore, a new paragraph was
recommended to provide for articles that were prohibited under the regulations
of the International Air Traffic Association and other organisations in the
interest of national security.
John Mahama, NDC - Bole and a Ranking Member, said the Postal Service
was an essential service that the public must have access to and so the need to
have uniform service and charges that were affordable.
He said since the Bill included the courier services it was in the
right direction and everything should be done to ensure that their activities
were regulated to the letter.
Mahama said the time had come for Ghana Post to re-position itself and
to look at further opportunities for value-added services such as including
banking services at all their post offices for the benefit of the cross section
of the populace.
Joseph Kofi Adda, NPP- Navrongo Central said with the new Bill it was
expected that the Postal Services would be well equipped to improve on the
state of its infrastructure, transport and other ancillary services such as
road and air transport for delivery of mails.
He said there was the need for regulatory measures to control the
activities of courier service operators and for collaboration between the
Postal Service and the Courier Service providers for an efficient and up to
date postal service in the country.
GRi…/
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