Finalise postcode project by June, Dar city fathers told

The Minister for Communication, Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa.

THE government has directed the Dar es Salaam city administration to ensure the postcode project is completed by June, this year, so the city may become a model for other regions to learn from.

The Minister for Communication, Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa, said in the city that the project had so far covered a total 40 out of 90 wards in Dar es Salaam, saying the response from members of the public was great.

“The postcode project is in line with the 2025 Development Vision which is vital for the nation to flourish economically, politically and culturally,” noted the minister after inspecting the project in Temeke and Kinondoni districts.

The project is carried out jointly by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and Tanzania Posts Corporation (TPC) as well as local government authorities.

According to TCRA’s Postal Affairs Director, Ms Rehema Makuburi, the project, to be completed next year, involves installation of street signs and house numbers in urban and rural settlements.

But she said some residents were reluctant to provide information about their residential buildings, thus posing a challenge in implementing the project. Also unplanned settlements caused delays in the project’s implementation.

“Poor urban planning in other cities and suburban areas have led to the existence of informal and unplanned settlements which make the implementation of the address system more difficult,” said Ms Makuburi.

She further mentioned vandalism of metal materials used to mark the streets as well as inconsistency in house numbering as another challenge.

Ms Makuburi said the government started carrying out the pilot project on postcode in Arusha city in 2009 and Dodoma municipality in 2011, saying the project was implemented in urban centres of the two regions.

The new address and postcode system is politically considered of national importance as declared in the National Postal Policy 2003.

By Ludovick Kazoka

Source @Daily News