New post office opened in Yambio, W. Equatoria

July 5, 2011 (YAMBIO) – On Tuesday morning, South Sudan’s ministry of telecommunications and postal services opened a new post office in Yambio Western Equatoria.

This is the first post office in Western Equatoria – a mainly agricultural state -since southern Sudan signed a landmark peace deal with Khartoum in 2005, allowing the South to secede. After a referendum in January the region becomes independent on July 9.

The new post office was inaugurated by Madut Biar Yel, Southern Sudan Minister of telecommunications and postal services, and Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro, Western Equatoria governor at its premises in Yambio, along with senior state and regional level officials.

The post office will offer all basic postal and some non-postal services.

Three days before the declaration of the South Sudan’s independence, the ministry of telecommunications and postal services in the South has initiated a numbers of postal services across the region.

Speaking during the inaugural ceremony, minister Madut said this is just a start of services from his ministry to the people.

“This is a start of our services from the ministry of telecommunications and postal services, we are starting by renovating old buildings and then start services so that our people can benefit the peace dividend the government and the people of south Sudan brought in 2005,” decried the minister.

Madut revealed that the postal service will become linked to international systems by 2012 when the ministry’s budget will increase.

He added that as the country is preparing for South Sudan’s independence July 9. “People of southern Sudan need to be encouraged that the southerners are now capable to do most services by themselves”, he said.

Madut said the ministry working hard to open other sub postal offices in Maridi, Tambura and Mundri and other counties in Western Equatoria so that all the communities of the state can access the services.

The Minister added that the postal service will serve all people in the south.

“This postal service is not only to serve the people of the state, or South Sudan but all foreigners because you can send your mail and parcel from here to your people anywhere in the world, again sending money which is also another important section in the office it will be easy for the people specially business people and those who have children outside the country, and to deposit money and receive it anywhere,” he disclosed.

The minister stated that the other section is the improvement of the radio system, citing that the HF (High Frequency radio) Codan which is the modern device in the world for communications is also available in the postal offices.

He called upon the state government to encourage the local population to make appropriate use of the facility, as because it is a government entity it will offer cheap services.

Madut congratulated the people Western Equatoria for their readiness for the birth of the new nation on July 9, the result of January 2011 referendum vote for self determination.

“We are the luckiest generations of the region either young or old because the independence of southern Sudan has come during our life time,” stressed the minister.

The state governor Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro appreciated the service saying Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which allowed the SPLM to become the government of the region had made providing services such as the new post offices possible.

“Postal service has never been there since we were born, and the CPA brought changes to Southern Sudan one of them is the opening of the postal service in this state,” disclosed Bakosoro.

He urged the staff of the postal office to work diligently and straight forward and to educate the communities about the postal service.

He added that it was an achievement in this state and a sign of a new beginning in the new “Republic of South Sudan”, in which Southerners are able to develop themselves.

“We don’t want to be slaves again in our own country, postal service was during the Arabs (Khartoum/Northern) regime but today it is in the hands of our sons,” noted the governor.

Governor Bakosoro reiterated that improving the postal services in the south will “make the South compete with other countries in the world.”

He pointed out that the radio is system will help most citizens get connected with their relatives in other parts of the south.

“We were using the High Frequency HF radio during the war and it is one of the most effective communication systems than the telephones we use today,” said Bakosoro.

He noted that mobile phones are secured to delivery sensitive messages.

In adition the state Mminister of information and communications Gibson Bullen Wande appreciated the opening of the postal service in the state.

Wande urged the South Sudan ministry of telecommunications to look into establishing of the directorate of postal service in the state ministry of information so that it can over see the postal and telecommunication services in the state.

He called for better coordination between the postal master in the state and the ministry of information in the state for better services delivery.

Minister Wande also encouraged the South Sudan ministry of telecommunications to establish other postal centers in the rest of the counties to make the communities get services at accurate time.

Most Yambio citizens Sudan Tribune spoke to acknowledged the importance of the postal service. Yambio resident Mborikino Kenneth said the postal service saying it will “help mostly students get their money or letters being sent by parents from getting lost on the way.”

Meanwhile Moris Boroyo said it will help those traveling to post their money and receive where they are going instead of carrying money in bags, a practice he described as “risky”.

(ST)