Gambia Postal Services (GAMPOST)

The Department of Post has a long, rich and proud history, dating back more than 157 years to 1858 when the British introduced international Postal services in The Gambia. Domestic mail services started in 1922, with the introduction of the Prince of Wales, the travelling Post office boat.

During colonial administration, the Departments of Post and Telecommunications, Customs and Treasury provided the postal services, which were all headed by the Receiver General.

When The Gambianisation of the civil service began, the three units were separated into autonomous departments and the Department of Post and Telecommunications was given its own Department head.

The Department of Post was created in 1976, when the former department of Posts and Telecommunications, which was responsible for both domestic Postal and Telecommunications services, was split into two separate departments.

In 1984, The Government commissioned a study on the creation of an autonomous postal service. The outcome of the study showed that the time was not right for the postal service to change its status. An update of the study was carried out in 2004/5 which showed the Post could be a viable entity if the right structures are put in place. The recommendation was accepted by Government culminating in the passage of The Gambia Postal Services Corporation (GAMPOST) Act by the National Assembly in December 2005.

GAMPOST (Gambia Postal Service Corporation) was formerly established as an autonomous body in January 2006 (under the Gambia public enterprise Act of 1989) to give effect the postal conventions and to monitored and regulate the Postal Industry in The Gambia and to accept International standards.

Prior to the transformation of the Gambia Post Office, that evolved into the present day GAMPOST, the regulation and operations were vested in the Gambia Department of State for Information, Communication and Technology.