The Need for a Modern Mail System in Cape Verde.

When I need to send my uncle a christmas card, some documents or a package from the US to Fogo, Cape Verde, I only have limited options on getting the item right to my uncle himself (meaning have it delivered right to the door of his residence). I'm not sure if the situation is the same for those in other parts of the world such as Europe and parts of Africa, thus i'm going to assume the situation is similar since the existence of a modern mail system is not present in Cape Verde. 


There are two issues with the state of the mailing system in Cape Verde:


1. Cape Verde has no official address format. The streets are not officially named which means even getting around is a guesswork. Furthermore, since the streets aren't officially named, homes don't have an identification number. This makes it hard for a modern mail system to deliver mail efficiently to its destination. 


2. Without an official address format, a modern mail system would not be able to achieve much in terms of delivering items to their destination. Currently, I believe the system depends on the telecommunication company called Telecom. Telecom handles electronic and telephony communication services and the mailing delivery system. The subsidiary that takes care of the mailing system is called Correios de Cabo Verde, which literally translates to Cape Verde Mail company.  


There is no mail delivery system, unless it's a telegram. Even when a telegram is processed, it is hard to get it to its rightful destination. If I were to send my uncle a mail, he would have no way of knowing that he has a mail waiting for him at the mail office unless I informed him so. After knowing that he has a mail waiting for him, he just needs to go up there present the necessary documents to receive the item. 


In the capital, Praia there is a contracted company that takes package deliveries from UPS and it only delivers it in the Island of Santiago. This leaves out the other Islands out of the loop. I'm sure this same contracted company takes deliveries from other carriers other than UPS, however, UPS is the only American company that delivers to Praia. 


Since my uncle lives in Fogo, sending him an item through UPS is not an option. As far as i'm concerned, not many people use the UPS service to Praia. To send my uncle an item, I would either have to send it through the USPS which delivers to Cape Verde, and inform him of the expected arrival date, and then he would have to go into the mail office and check if it's available. The expected delivery date is never accurate which makes knowing an exact date of arrival difficult.


A more accurate method of sending items to Cape Verde are through friends; and sometimes a friend of a friend. The Cape Verdean community here in the US does this more often than using the mail system. The reason they do this is because there are no other alternative. I've heard many express the fact they would rather use the mail system if Cape Verde had a modern and efficient one. Other than friends, Cape Verdeans send barrels and crates full of goods to family members. The Cape Verdean port authority handles the incoming goods and taxes in accordance to the contents of the shipment. The system is bureaucratic and expensive, and there has been many instances where employees of the port authority outright steal goods destined to someone else. Furthermore, shipping goods to Cape Verde in the just mentioned method is only efficient in the case you have a large amount of goods. 


Cape Verde has made strides of modernization to much of the country's infrastructure and modus operandi of government institutions. The need for a modern mail system is vital for the economic development of the country. It both helps the government in doing its necessary tasks and expands business opportunities for the private sector. 


NOTE:


I've gotten some information confirming that all municipalities have named streets on their zoning maps with no house numbers; and Praia has a modern address format for it's municipality. The address format is similar to that of Portugal with house number, street name, city and province which is Cape Verde. That being said, the streets of Praia have no street signs and houses have no assigned number, not even the residents know their house number.