Company History
The history of the Sierra Leone Postal Service goes as far back as 1841 (before the union was formed) during the period of Jerome, who established a village Post Office in Gloucester village on the outskirts of Freetown at the time.
The office of “Postmaster of Packet Agent” as the professional head of the Postal Services was instituted in 1843. That office was held by a clerk of the Commonwealth Secretariat who was paid directly from the British Treasury.
The first General Post Office was established in 1853 at Gloucester Street in Freetown, and the position of a full time Postmaster was created in 1857 with Isaac Fitzjohn from Gloucester Village Freetown appointed to the position of Postmaster General in 1858.
Global Membership
Sierra Leone Postal Service (SALPOST) Ltd is a member of the Universal Postal Union with a global membership of 192 countries, including British Royal Mail, United States of America’s USPS, China Post, etc. Sierra Leone officially joined the Universal Postal Union (UPU) on 29th January 1961, ISO Code 3166/Alpha-2:SL.
Since independence, the Sierra Leone Postal Service has strived to deliver on its universal mandate under the Universal Postal Union charter, as enshrined in UN Human Right Convention, which is, to provide universal mail delivery services to all citizens no matter where they are, at affordable cost.
Over the years, the institution has undergone series of reforms under different administrations. In February 1990, the Sierra Leone Postal Services was incorporated as a limited company with the Sierra Leone Government as the majority (only) shareholder and thereby, renamed, SALPOST Ltd.
New Management Vision
In recent times, the management of SALPOST, under the leadership of the new managing director, Mr Brima Katta, has embarked on a diversification programme to source new revenue streams for the Post Office as the traditional core business of letter mail has come under threat with the advent of technology and new ways of communication.
In this light, SALPOST has rolled out a host of new services, including, Agent Network of Foreign Exchange Bureau, Agency Banking, Agent for access to public services and e-commerce & light logistics, etc.
