Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 10, 2017 (SKNIS): Technology has come a long way, and with it what was considered the traditional mailbox has been replaced to a large extent by the electronic mail (e-mail) box, instant messaging (IM) and social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp, which deliver messages in a second.
The Postal Service, under the umbrella of the Universal Postal Union, which was founded in 1874, is struggling to stay “relevant and competitive”, while at the same time “provide efficient and effective postal services of the highest quality.” This requires a renaissance of the Postal Service globally, which has now become known as “snail mail”. It presents both a challenge and an opportunity for re-form.
Recognizing this to be a challenge in a modern day St. Kitts and Nevis, where there are more cellphones than people, and an internet penetration rate of about 80 percent, ranking in the top 50 countries worldwide by “Internet World Stats” (http://www.internetworldstats.com/top25.htm), St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Post, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd, in an address on World Post Day on October 9, outlined several initiatives that the Postal Services in the Federation is doing to not become anachronistic.