Clampdown on illegal courier operators to intensify – Postal & Courier Services Commission

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It’s becoming very common in Ghana these days to deliver your items or get them delivered to you in a more convenient way as courier services increase in number.

Although that business space like any other is regulated, some operators have failed to register with the relevant state agency.

The Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission, which is the regulator, says it will intensify its supervision role to rid the system of unregistered courier service providers.

According to the Commission, such exercises are needed following an alarming rise in unlicensed courier services, which are a danger to the business space and the general public who use courier services to send and receive documents, food products and gadgets among other things.

The Commission, which currently has 130 registered operators under it, managed to register 33 new operators last year; and is looking forward to register 50 more this year.

Public Affairs Manager at the Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission, Nii Yeboah Edwin Burgesson, says the Commission will leave no stone unturned to sanitize the sector.

“We’re going to have clampdowns, and they are not to push people out of business, it is rather to ensure the legal framework is followed. Some operators will have their places locked up, others will have their vans and motorbikes impounded just as we did last year. Others too may be prosecuted.”

While warning that it will not hesitate to arrest and possibly prosecute operators of courier services that are not licensed by the Commission, Mr. Burgesson encouraged those interested in the business to consider what they stand to gain by regularizing their operations.

Despite the challenges, the Commission managed to beat its revenue target for the year 2019 by about 90 percent, from a target of GHC 450,000 to GHC 850,000. The Public Affairs Manager highlights the strategies to be employed to help the commission meet its 2020 target of GHC 1.2 million.

“Our key strategies are mainly to renew the license of our operators, secondly register new operators and finally ensure that we have our presence felt across the country with coordinated awareness creation programs.”

A key issue that has created a misunderstanding between the Commission and the National Courier Association of Ghana is the supposed high cost of the Commission’s licensing fee. But the Commission says it is ready to work with all stakeholders to ensure the industry’s growth.

by Bobbie Osei

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