decision analysis partners develops postal policy for the Country of Ghana

decision analysis partners developed a National Postal Policy for Ghana.  The National Postal Policy represents the culmination of a year-long effort to determine the objectives and strategies needed to ensure the future reform and development of the postal industry in Ghana.  The first step was to leverage the DAP team of international postal experts to analyze the current postal market and regulatory framework in Ghana while simultaneously reviewing the impact and potential benefits offered by the growth in Ghana of other communications technologies.

In each of these areas, the findings for the postal sector in Ghana were compared with postal sectors in countries with similar levels of economic development both inside and outside of Africa, and with postal industry best practices worldwide (e.g., UPU Guidelines, European Union Directives and standards). The results of the Diagnostic Phase were then presented to a high-level team from the Ministry of Communications and other government bodies to ensure that the eventual postal policy would be grounded in  the Ghanaian market.

The next phase was to highlight the policies and strategies used in postal reform programs already implemented in other countries as a guide to developing a postal sector policy for Ghana. As recognized by the team, developing a successful postal policy in Ghana also required a high level of input and consensus from postal stakeholders and had to be conducted as a “ground up” process. Such stakeholders include national and local government officials and regulators, private and public postal operators, employee organizations, individual and business mailers, the press, NGO’s, and other interested parties.  The culmination of this inclusive approach to policy development was a National Postal Policy Workshop on October 22, 2008.  The purpose of this Workshop was to review the findings of the Diagnostic Phase and discuss and evaluate the policy options available for ensuring the future growth and development of Ghana’s postal market.

The Workshop included over 100 participants representing every major stakeholder group and received a significant level of press and media coverage.  This participatory event produced a series of draft policy recommendations that were enhanced by a subsequent public commentary period. Based on this comprehensive input, a draft National Postal Policy has been developed and will be submitted to the appropriate authorities for final approval. The Policy is a comprehensive document that addresses the interests of all major stakeholders, covers both domestic and international mail, considers universal service and “other” (e.g., courier mail) postal products and defines the roles and responsibilities of public and private operators, as well as consumers.  It reflects broader national economic and societal goals that define Ghana’s future development and is an integral part of the national development agenda.

decision analysis partners provides postal management and technology consulting services in key strategic and operational areas, including: Marketing, Mail Processing and Logistics Operations; Technology Evaluation and Planning; Regulatory Analysis; and Postal Enterprise Modeling.