By Binta Jaiteh
Management of the Gambia Postal Service has disclosed that some vacant positions existing at the senior management level within the institution is directly affecting their services, as most of the directors and heads resigned due to low standard of payment.
Mr Foday M Jaiteh, Managing Director of GAMPOST said vacancies existing in the institution is a serious challenge for the institution and not only exist within management level but as well operation department.
Mr Jaiteh said during GAMPOST last appearance in National Assembly he dwelt on the issue as it is a worried situation for the institution.
“All positions at the management levels are vacant for over one year now. This include finance, operation, human resource, IT and custom departments, none of them have director or head, they all resigned,” he disclosed.
According to him, the resignation basically is about salary payment, as GAMPOST is among the least paid institution in the country.
He noted that a new board was inaugurated in January 2020 and recently good measures are taken to review the institution’s allowances “with that maybe the departments will be filled,” he assumed.
The GAMPOST Managing Director revealed that Gambia Postal Service is a member of the universal postal union that have membership of over 192 countries worldwide, largest network in the world and it is real key strength of GAMPOST.
Meanwhile, the GAMPOST has a good network and in every region of the country. And worldwide, he explained that “postal sector is going on a profound process of transformation, which GAMPOST is not an exception and communication market has experienced dramatic evolution following the development of digital instant communication technology rising standard of living.”
He added that social sophistication of modernization is a quality service and financial viability, and government decision to transform the postal service to an autonomous entity by public enterprise was a direct response to these challenges.
He added that they have a cooperate service for 2016 and 2020 to transform in the future, and the activity report for 2017 , 2018 and 2019 were all based in the strategic plan submitted to the National Assembly long ago.
He continued that Operation projects programs and mail delivery service is the sole responsibility of GAMPOST under the operation department to make sure of timely collection, dispatch and delivery of letters and collection of parcels both international and national.
Halifa Sallah, chairperson of the committee remind the august gathering that they are here for a constitutional mandate and it calls for establishment of a governing authority comprising of persons with integrity, competence and maturity in judgment.
He said such institutions authority must also have oversight beyond the ambit of the executive and it therefore says under section (175) sub section (lC) 4 for the National Assembly to create a committee that will monitor the operations of public enterprises in order to ensure that accountable to the Assembly.
The chairperson added that “the committee is given a mandate section (175) sub section (5) of the constitution to make sure that public enterprises submit its annual report within three months of each financial year. Therefore the Gambia Postal Service (GAMPOST) having presenting for the year 31st December financial statement and activity report for 2017, 2018, 2019,” the sitting therefore adjourn to a later date for consideration stage.
