-$12.5M Anna Regina Post Office refurbished

MINISTER of Public Telecommunications Catherine Hughes, on Wednesday, officially re-opened the Anna Regina Post Office to the general public. The post office, which was refurbished at the cost of approximately $12.6M, boasts a state-of-the-art ICT hub, modern toilet facilities and also easy access for those persons living with disabilities.

Addressing the gathering during the formal opening at Anna Regina, Minister Hughes said billions of people around the world still use the postal service as a means of communication in delivering goods to friends and family or even to transact business. She added that the Ministry of Public Telecommunications has recognized that in an ever-changing technological world, the postal service must be able to adapt and diversify in an effort to continue delivering the quality of postal service in Guyana. In that view, she related that the Ministry intends to convert as many post offices as possible across Guyana into modern multi-functional facilities.

“The intention is to use every available facility to take public services to citizens and to save them the cost and inconvenience of travelling outside of their communities or regions to access them. To this end, the aim remains to renovate and rehabilitate, initially, key post offices that would be able to deliver services to its maximum number of persons” Minister Hughes said.

Speaking specifically on World Postal Day which is observed yearly on October 9, the minister added that around the world, the postal service is reviewing and re-organizing and, as such, Guyana is no different. She said her Ministry is still keen on turning all post offices into ICT hubs so that they can generate other sources of income.
“Access to the Internet”

With the ITC hubs being set up at the Anna Regina Post Office, the Minister emphasized that children and even the elderly can use the opportunity to access free internet. The Minister re-emphasized that with the adoption of modern technology, the postal service is poised towards taking the service provision to another level. It is also the ministry’s desire to make available close to 100 government services online. She, therefore, thanked all the staff attached to the Guyana Post Office Corporation for their dedicated services over the years.

Meanwhile, Postmaster General (Acting) for the GPOC, Mrs, Anastasia Jessemy Lynch, said that the Corporation has been serving the Guyanese public for the past 42 years. Mrs. Lynch said that over 500 persons make up the staff at the GPOC. She said World Post day is celebrated under the theme, “Delivering Development”.

Chairman of the GPOC board, Rev Dr. Murtland Raphael Massiah, thanked the staff for their services. He said that the GPOC delivers close to 98 per-cent of Guyana’s mail and remains committed to serving the Guyanese public.