Government has begun moves to convert all post offices in the country into electronic service centres to deepen digital financial inclusion and internet access in the hinterlands.

According to Communications Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the conversion, which has been necessitated by emerging modern trends of transacting business, is expected to be done in phases with the entire project expected to be completed in four years.

Speaking to Class News’ Ekow Annan on extending communication services to rural areas, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said: “The government has set up an E-payment platform for provision of about 14 services across the country and in addition to that we are going to turn all our post offices and community information centres to E-service centres where you can go for all your electronic transactions even if you don’t have the facilities in your own home or you don’t even have internet connectivity. You can go to a designated point in your community where you can have those services.

“It is a process and we are working with our partners to ensure that it happens. But once we put the structures in place, I’m convinced that before long, there will be an explosion in this digital financial services space because we see it happening even without any push and if it’s possible for 80 per cent of all the payment in this country to be done electronically, it reduces the incentive for corruption drastically.”