Chief executives from the region’s postal operators gathered with high-ranking government officials, regulators, restricted unions, private sector partners and development agencies to sign the declaration during the UPU’s African Postal Leaders Forum in Praia, Cabo Verde (25-27 February).

Representatives from 45 African countries, including 38 postal CEOs, gathered for the third edition of the regional leaders forum under the theme “Consolidation and convergence: priorities for a modern and interoperable African postal network”, reflecting on the future of the postal sector across the continent.

In opening remarks, UPU Deputy Director General Marjan Osvald noted that the forum was being held at a pivotal moment, as the UPU and its members begin work on the organization’s next four-year strategy.

“The 2026–2029 Dubai cycle opens with a clear direction: a modern, interoperable and digitally enabled postal network that supports e-commerce, cross-border logistics and essential public services. The forum’s theme captures the direction and the momentum needed to realize this vision. Consolidation means reinforcing the fundamentals: governance, skills, financial resilience, operational discipline and customer trust. Convergence means aligning systems and standards so that the network works seamlessly across borders, partners and platforms,” he said.

In a keynote address during the forum’s opening ceremony, H.E. Dr. Olavo Avelino Garcia Correia, Vice Prime Minister of Cabo Verde, underscored the responsibility that postal operators carry as an essential public infrastructure that can accelerate development across nations, regions and the world.

“It is in this sense that I salute this forum, which will be of great importance for our future. We will be attentive to its conclusions and the Praia Declaration and we will do everything to be able to implement them,” he said.

Correios de Cabo Verde CEO Isidoro Mendes Gomes said, “We envision a postal ecosystem that is digitally enabled, operationally efficient, regionally connected, economically inclusive and globally competitive. Correios de Cabo Verde is ready to play its role in shaping the future of logistics and digital trade in Africa and beyond. Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your shared commitment to progress.”

Over three days, leaders discussed strategies to reimagine the African postal sector in line with the 2026-2029 UPU Strategy to ensure it delivers maximum value to the people, businesses and governments it serves. Panelists from across the sector challenged their assumptions, exchanged experiences, and discussed innovative leadership approaches to digital transformation, seamless cross-border logistics and diversification.

In parallel, the forum invited young professionals from Posts, ICT, data science, logistics, engineering, business, fintech and public policy to participate in a youth leadership conference to cultivate the next generation of postal decision-makers. Young participants later shared their suggested approaches to postal transformation with seasoned executives.

Praia Declaration

The forum culminated in the Praia Declaration – a commitment from attendees that will see them develop a four-year action plan to transform Africa’s postal sector and ensure its contribution to the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa and Agenda 2063.

Within the Declaration, leaders recognized the power of the Post’s extensive and trusted infrastructure to deliver a broad range of essential public services, highlighting cyber-secure digital transformation, the development of structured addressing, standards compliance, transformational leadership, and collaboration with youth and wider sector partners as priorities for the road map.

The Praia Declaration also sets clear roles for all partners. For governments, commitment should focus on integrating the Post’s development into their national digital and economic agendas, while regulators focus on setting policy and regulatory frameworks that enable postal innovation. For Posts themselves, the focus will be on adopting leadership methods that accelerate digital transformation, improve service reliability and foster innovative services development while strengthening governance and accountability. Development partners and financial institutions can support transformation with investments in postal modernization projects, particularly capacity-building and technical assistance programmes led by the UPU and restricted unions.

High-level advocacy

The forum provided a critical opportunity for the UPU to take its advocacy message for the sector to the highest level.

During a 26 February meeting, Cabo Verde’s Prime Minister H.E. José Ulisses de Pina Correia e Silva met with the UPU Deputy Director General to discuss the Post’s role in advancing the Government’s socioeconomic agenda.

The Prime Minister noted that, as a small island developing state, Cabo Verde was strategically positioning its postal network as a vital bridge connecting citizens, businesses, and global markets. He underscored the transformative potential of digitalization, noting that strengthening the Post’s digital capabilities would accelerate e-commerce growth, expand export opportunities, and enhance Cabo Verde’s integration into the global digital economy.

The UPU Deputy Director General commended Cabo Verde’s reform efforts and encouraged continued government support to Correios de Cabo Verde, particularly through strengthened Post-Customs coordination to streamline cross-border exchanges. He reaffirmed the UPU’s readiness to support Cabo Verde through technical assistance, capacity building, and policy guidance to accelerate modernization efforts.

On 27 February, H.E. José Maria Pereira Neves, President of Cabo Verde, received UPU Development Cooperation Mutua Muthusi to discuss the role of Correios de Cabo Verde in advancing postal development across the region. 

The President underscored the strategic importance of the postal operator, affirming the Government’s commitment to postal modernization and highlighting the country’s participation in the UPU as an elected member of the Postal Operations Council for the next four years.

During the audience, Muthusi reaffirmed the UPU’s readiness to support Cabo Verde in its postal modernization journey, particularly through digital transformation, innovation, and e-commerce development-focused assistance.