3.3 POSTAL SERVICES
Postal services ceased operations during the civil war, however, considering its
importance for the functioning of the public and private sectors, the MPTT has
re-established Posta Somalia as a fully-functioning postal service that connects
Somalia domestically, and to the rest of the world via a postal gateway through
Djibouti.
MPTT envisages a new approach to managing and operating postal services
based on business principles, harnessing of technology to increase efficiency
and forging international partnerships that benefit the Somali people by
supporting entrepreneurial trade initiatives. This would take into account
the promotion of private local/international postal services investment and
presence. In this respect Posta Somalia is expected to be a catalyst for
e-commerce in the country and will improve existing supply chains for trade
and commerce, which are both priorities for the MPTT. In support of this
linkages between postal services and the financial sector will be developed,
which will also improve the environment for remittance businesses.
To ensure the postal sector is able to meet the expected needs for services, a
separate postal services policy will need to be developed. This would include
establishment of a national digital addressing system (NAS) and a National
Spatial Data Infrastructure information management system which could
support a national postal code addressing system.
3.4 ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS PLATFORMS
Electronic payment services are relatively well developed in Somalia. Seven
out of ten regularly use their mobile device to access mobile payment services,
with over 150 million transactions a month, worth $2.7 billion or 36% of GDP.
There is a need to strengthen the legal and regulatory framework in this sector
to ensure:
1. Increased financial inclusion
2. Development of a wider range of financial services, including international
payments and banking services
3. Interoperability/interconnection
4. Financial stability of the current system of mobile payments and
5. Sufficient citizen protections.
Amendments to the 2012 Financial Institutions Law will likely be necessary in
order to cover all providers of financial services, and ensure that all financial
service providers are governed by the same law, and have equal levels of
access to shared financial market infrastructure such as payment systems and
a potential ID management system, thereby contributing towards a conducive
business environment for shared services, and a level the playing field for
potential new entrants into the market
14
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