The National Post Office (French: '''Office national des postes''', Kinyarwanda: '''iPosita Rwanda''') is the company responsible for the postal service in Rwanda. As of 2009, the Director General of National Post Office was Celestin Kayitare.[1]
Rwanda is part of the Universal Postal Union, which recommends a maximum of 9,000 people per one post office branch.[1] As of 2009, Rwanda's population is around ten million, and would need 1,111 post office branches to meet this recommendation.[1] As of 2009, Rwanda had nineteen post office branches.[1]
During April 2010, the Office National des Postes announced, through the Universal Postal Union, that several fraudulent issues of stamps were circulating.[2]
The Office National Des Postes was granted a monopoly for thirty years in 1992 by the Parliament of Rwanda, then known as the National Development Council.[3] Private services do business in the country despite the government's protests.[3] Atraco, Sotra Tours, Okapi, Virunga, and Muhabura Bus have been named by the postal service as companies operating illegally.[3] As of October 2009, a law was being drafted to crack down on illegal courier services.[3]
A November 2000 report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on reducing poverty in Rwanda stated the IMF would try to make the Office National Des Postes financially self-supporting, while also providing affordable services. According to the report, this would improve the communication structure, allowing those living in poverty to more easily find jobs.[4] As part of a November 2000 agreement over aid with the IMF, the Rwandian government agreed to make the Office National Des Postes self-sufficient by September 2001.[5]