Union Postale, revue de l'Union postale universelle - UPU ...

Réforme postalePostal reformRéforme postale en AlgérieUne question de stratégiePar Jérôme DeutschmannPostal reform in AlgeriaA question of strategyBureau de posteprincipal à Alger.Main post officein Alger.Et si l’aide à la réforme postale n’était qu’une questionde stratégie? A cette interrogation, le Gouvernementalgérien a répondu en intégrant saréforme du secteur dans le cadre de sa politique derelance économique. Les instances financières internationalesont suivi.Dressons le décor: les événements tragiques qui ontfrappé l’Algérie une décennie durant ont eu pourconséquence le blocage de nombreux projets d’envergure.Dès 2000, la fin du terrorisme et la bonne tenueconjoncturelle des comptes publics associée à la croissanceexceptionnelle des revenus des hydrocarburespermettent à l’Algérie de mener de front les réformesstructurelles nécessaires à la relance de l’activité privéeet à la diversification de l’économie algérienne.Et de réformes, les services postaux fusionnés auxtélécommunications en avaient grand besoin. La séparationdes postes et des télécommunications est ainsidevenue l’un des premiers grands chantiers sous la présidenced’Abdelaziz Bouteflika et la condition sine quaCould postal reform be simply a matter of strategy?In answer to this question, the AlgerianGovernment has integrated postal sectorreform into its economic recovery policy, a movewhose progress has been followed by internationalfinancial bodies.But first, some background: the tragic events whichhit Algeria over the course of a decade led to the blockingof numerous large-scale projects. Since 2000, however,an end to terrorist activity and the good economicperformance of public accounts, together with theexceptional growth in revenue from hydrocarbons,have enabled Algeria to move forward with the structuralreforms needed to relaunch activity in the privatesector and diversify its economy.In the case of the joint postal and telecommunicationsservices, this reform was long overdue. Separatingthe two services became one of President AbdelazizBouteflika’s first major projects, and an essential conditionfor a development policy requiring loans or supportfrom a bank, multilateral lender, or supranationalauthority. A reform project on this scale could not succeedwithout the assistance of experts at various levels.Separating the two institutionsThe process began on 5 August 2000 with a law settingout the general rules for separating the two activitiesand defining the operators’ general operating conditions.Separating the functions of the two institutions(creating Algérie Télécom and Algérie Poste), the independentregulator (ARPT) and the functions ofthe Ministry of Post, Information Technology andCommunication was the starting point for a long-termeconomic development strategy for the sector.Against this background, and in view of the twofoldobjective of creating suitable conditions for facilitatingaccess to efficient and affordable services whilst openingup postal activities to competition and privatestakeholding, the World Bank lent the developmentstrategy its support.Nine million USD was granted for five-and-a-halfyears to the Ministry of Information and CommunicationTechnology, which was entrusted with allocatingthe funds. It also had to define a new legal and regulatoryframework for Algeria Post, allocate staff andassets, prepare performance contracts, statutes, etc.,and design a global strategy based on an evaluation ofcosts arising from the universal postal service.Photo: Patricia Vivas-Risse