The Southern Africa Postal Operators Association, a Sadc regional body responsible for the postal sector, is hosting Africa's first Postal Forum at the International Convention Centre in Durban. The forum began on Tuesday with a conference that focused on new technology and postal partners. Various postal service providers were display the latest technology in mail sorting, containerisation and software solutions for logistics and international money transfer.

Also on offer were letter, flat and parcel sorting automation equipment; materials handling and containers; software solutions - optimisation track and trace; handheld technology; vehicles, bicycles, scooters and trolleys; and delivery equipment.

Yesterday and today were set aside for presentations and workshops, which will focus on strategy development and global trends in the postal industry, i.e. multi-channel and revenue streams, reform and transformation, postal benchmarking and regulatory issues around social and economic development.

Prior to the conference Sapoa convened two meetings for operations directors and chief executives.

The conferences were primarily for members to reflect on the resolutions passed at the Universal Postal Union Congress held in October 2012 in Qatar. It was also an opportunities for members to learn from each other's experiences.

Established in 2001, Sapoa has successfully co-ordinated the development and harmonisation of policies within the Sadc and has earned respect in the global postal industry for its efficiency and effectiveness.

Sapoa's key objective is to meet the diverse needs of customers in a sustainable way. Sapoa's membership is restricted to state postal companies in Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.