MONROVIA, May 1 (LINA) -The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Dr. Frederick Norkeh, has stressed the need to privatize the postal service in Liberia to boost revenue generation for government coffers and make the service more efficient.
He said privatizing the postal service, which has been serving Liberia for over 60 years, is high on his agenda, adding that he is contemplating taking actions that will ensure that the sector copes with the “challenges of the time.”
In an interview with the Liberia News Agency recently, Dr. Norkeh said privatizing postal service should be considered because while private companies are taxed, government is not.
He said putting the postal service into private hands will also free government of the expenditure of payment of salaries and purchase of equipment, noting that the money now used for these purposes could be applied to upgrading the education system, roads and bridges that Liberia is in dire need of.
Norkeh said the present postal service falls short of the changes of modern times, adding that it lacks the funding to invest and transform it to cope with the changing
technological age.
He noted that a number of countries have seen it fit to take the privatization route, citing Germany and Japan as countries that have privatized their postal services.
Dr. Norkeh, however, noted that privatization has risks which must also be taken into consideration.
He said one of the risks is that Liberia has a low literacy rate, which means the number of persons who could send letters is lower than in other countries.
Dr. Norkeh also noted that while parcel post could be a major area for possible growth, some persons feel insecure with entrusting their precious gifts with anyone, particularly with the on-and-off accusations of mail theft against the post office.
“Whatever eventually happens, the situation with phone lines has shown that we do not necessarily need to always be afraid of change. Privatization, if handled well, can be a force for good,” he explained.
LINA WD/JGT/TSS/PTK