22nd August 2024
Sello Motseta
The most pivotal role for the Botswana Post Board is to serve as a focal point and custodian for good corporate governance in the Company. This it achieves by the assurance given by the Institute of Directors of South Africa IoDSA, Botswana Accountancy Oversight Authority (BAOA) as well as our external auditors.
Subsequent to the adoption of the King IV Code of Corporate Governance, the Botswana Post reportedly realized the need to address issues of risk and as a result the Board resolved to formulate a board committee responsible for, amongst other functions, risk tracking, management as well as reporting.
The Committee helps the Board to look at, not only, the strategic oversight of the Company, but it also aids the Board to identify imminent risks in delivering the Company’s strategic agenda and objectives.
“Further on the backdrop of the adoption of King IV Code, the Botswana Post Board is subjected to a board evaluation exercise that is conducted on an annual basis by professional and independent bodies such as the IoDSA and recently a 100% citizen owned company, Exclusive Human Capital Consultants (EHCC),” said Nathan Kgabi, Botswana Post Chairperson.
He said, “The Evaluation measures the performance of individual members, the respective Committees as well as the Board as a whole. It identifies gaps for the efficient and effective performance of the Board. According to the rating of the evaluation, the Board is performing at a “good” level.”
The Botswana Post Board is continuously trained on legislative and statutory changes relevant to the business as well as evolving trends in the corporate governance space, to ensure Board remains relevant.
Management carries out Board inductions and refreshers to ensure that Directors are abreast with operations of the Company in order to aid them to deliver on their mandate in the execution of its strategic oversight and strategic agenda.
In adopting King IV Code of corporate governance, the Board follows the Code’s governing principles in that the Board as a team made up of individuals with different professional backgrounds, experience and qualifications leads ethically and effectively.
The Board ensures that the Company is a responsible corporate citizen and governs technology and information in a way that supports the organisation setting and achieving its strategic objectives. Having this diversity of perspectives is critical for strategic decision making to provide objective judgment.
“With this background, as the Botswana Post Board we are determine to support the National Reset Agenda; which is aligned to our Strategy as the Company strategy mirrors the strategic initiatives and objectives of the Reset Agenda as we talk about knowledge-based economy as well as digitisation and A Re Chencheng because we endeavour to change the Post from a historical traditionalist Post Office to a service provider that becomes a dynamic regional player,” said Kgabi.
The Botswana Post Office acknowledged challenges especially with the one major challenge being the Company’s balance sheet and liquidity. It is good thing that the Government has appointed the Post as the universal service provider and that there is enabling legislation supporting that mandate.
The missing part is the full reimbursement of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) as the full reimbursement of USO would allow Botswana Post’s operations to be agile, effective and enable the Company to provide its customers with best service.
Capitalization of Botswana Post gives it the strength to invest in the new strategic initiatives that are aligned with the National Agenda, including financial inclusion and financial access. Therefore, we have major objectives of the Insurance, the Bank and a robust partner logistics strategy.
As part of the sustainable development agenda, Botswana Post was in December 2023, awarded a sponsorship of P 1,112,000.00 by the Universal Postal Union (UPU)’s Disaster Recovery Management (DRM) fund for the development of 5 solar powered Post Offices and 7 satellite phones.
The project will commence before the end of this financial year 2024-2025. Identified locations for the Solar Installations include Mabule, Phitshane Molopo, Ramotlabaki, Bokspits / Tsabong, and Seronga while locations for the satellite phones include at Letlhakane (2), Palapye, Francistown, Maun, Gumare & Seronga and Shakawe.
Such opportunities for Botswana Post demonstrates commitment to aligning the Post’s operations with both national sustainable development priorities and global initiatives such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals SDGs.
Botswana Post is currently awaiting delivery of The Disaster Recovery Management Solar project equipment which is being procured by the UNDP Botswana office on behalf of the UPU.
This project further enables Botswana Post to advance its Environmental Social Governance (ESG) practices, enhancing its focus on reducing carbon emissions and building resilience against climate-related challenges with international support and collaboration from the UPU.
The UPU has further supported Botswana Post in the acquisition of three (3) electrical vehicles through the Quality of Service Fund in 2022.
According to Botswana Post officials, 740.8K people viewed its content during this period (July –August 2024), representing a 111.8% increase. This not only indicates that more people are seeing our posts, but also that they are returning to our page, which is a clear sign that we are doing something right.
Our organic reach climbed to 156,520 people, a 62.3% increase, showing that even without paid promotions, our content continues to attract and engage viewers.
On the paid front, our advert reach surged to 705,160 people, a remarkable 140.7% growth. This demonstrates that our advertising efforts are paying off, significantly enhancing our content’s visibility and expanding our audience.
“These metrics clearly highlight the growing interest in our brand and the satisfaction of our audience, as evidenced by their consistent return to engage with our content,” said Cornelius Ramatlhakwane, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Botswana Post.
He said, “Now, one might wonder why our Customer Service Index and digital media engagement are performing satisfactorily, especially when there’s a perception that Botswana Post is a traditionalist organization. A key factor that contributes to this is rooted in our human capital.”
At Botswana Post, culture is not just a buzzword; it is ‘the way we do things around here’, as defined by Gallup Inc. Our commitment to culture transformation is central to how we operate and engage with our employees, our customers and other key stakeholders.
By fostering a positive and empowering culture, we are able to motivate our team and improve their performance, which ultimately translates into higher customer satisfaction and better service delivery stressed Ramatlhakwane.
