Pioneros del ajuste: la Junta Militar (1976-1983)

ICT facilities in rural Botswana through the national postal service

29

Introduction

In this chapter we discuss the introduction of ICT facilities in rural Botswana through the national postal service. Bot- swana is recognized as one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most stable and progressive countries. While there has been rapid development of electronic communication services such as Internet, e-mail and text messaging throughout Botswana society, the postal service still remains one of the most uni- versal and accessible means of communication in most parts of Bo tswana. The services of BotswanaPost remain essential tools in the exchange of information, and the physical com- munications network serves not only as a vital link in the economic development of Botswana, but also as a reliable means of exchanging information.

This chapter will discuss the development of Kitsong (knowl- edge) centres. Kitsong centres are a means by which the Government of Botswana narrows the digital divide between urban and rural communities. BotswanaPost was the na- tural choice to provide such centres, with its network of 192 postal facilities throughout the country. The Government and BotswanaPost have already installed 49 Kitsong centres, with a further five due to open in 2010. The example of Bot- swana will demonstrate how integrating government policies can lead to the development of new services. It will also show the importance of linking sector policies to a wider national policy, which in the case of Botswana is the Botswa na vision 2016.

Background to BotswanaPost

The area now known as Botswana can trace postal services back to the late 19th century. The post office network origi- nally grew along railway lines, with a steady growth in both post offices and postal agencies to the current 119 post offices and 73 agencies. Key dates in the history of the Bot- swanaPostal services include:

– 1932: First official stamp issue.

– 1957: Protectorate Government took over control of the post office.

– 1963: establishment of Postal Savings Bank.

– 1980: Split of postal and telecommunications busi- nesses.

– 1989: Corporatization of BotswanaPost. – 2000: Introduction of counter automation.

– 2007: Introduction of BotswanaPost’s first Kitsong cen- tre.

– 2008: Phase 1 Kitsong centres – Introduction of 24 cen- tres.

– 2009–2010: Phase 2 Kitsong centres – Introduction of 29 centres.

– 2010: All post offices due to be automated.

In addition to traditional mail services, BotswanaPost provides services on behalf of Government, parastatals and the private sector, including:

– Department of Social Benefits: payment of old age

pensions.

– Botswana Savings Bank: opening of accounts, savings

and withdrawals.

– Motor Vehicle Accident Fund: assistance in filling in

forms for the Fund.

– Botswana Power Corporation: collection of bill pay-

ments.

– Botswana Life Assurance Limited: applications for

insurance and payment of monthly premiums. Automating all post offices will increase the ability of Botswa- naPost to provide an expanded range of services on behalf of other customers, such as those listed above. It will also enable acceptance of bill payments to be extended to other companies besides Botswana Power Corporation.

Other services provided by BotswanaPost include collection of mail, delivery of mail to P.O. boxes, eMS services, money transfers and a range of products and services for business customers.

BotswanaPost also fully owns Botswana Couriers, which pro- vides local across-town services in Gaborone and Francistown three to four times a day, regional same-day service between Gaborone and Francistown and points in between, and next- day services to all major centres throughout the country. Botswana Couriers is fully owned by BotswanaPost but oper- ates as a private limited company, with its own network and vehicles.

The introduction of information technology in BotswanaPost began in earnest in 2000 with counter automation in a number of major post offices. This was a full four years before the development of the Kitsong centre initiative and seven years before the opening of BotswanaPost’s first Kitsong centre. Counter automation was introduced to help develop additional services such as banking, bill payments and the sale of insurance policies. It also allowed BotswanaPost to develop better track and trace systems for its express and eMS products and services. BotswanaPost currently has counter automation installed in 76 post offices and plans to automate all 119 main post offices by the end of 2010.

BotswanaPost had also begun to implement its own Inter- net cafes prior to the Kitsong initiative. The main difference between those Internet cafes and the Kitsong centres was location. The Internet cafes were opened as purely com- mercial ventures in the urban centres of Gaborone, where there were three cafes, and Francistown and Kasane, with one cafe in each.

However, the Kitsong centres and automated post offices are generally independent of each other. Counter automation has been implemented on the basis of its commercial value to BotswanaPost. It is therefore implemented in urban areas, where each post office serves a large number of people. In contrast, Kitsong centres are located in the most rural loca- tions and can be considered a social venture.

30