Gambia Travel Guide - Communications

Country code: 220.

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good around Banjul and most other towns but patchy to non-existent elsewhere.

Email can be accessed in Internet cafes in major towns.

The postal service can be slow and unreliable. The main post office is on Wellington Street, Banjul.

Post office hours: Mon-Thurs 0800-1215 and 1400-1600, Fri 0800-1215 and 1430-1630, Sat 0800-1200.

State-run Gambia Television and Radio Gambia broadcast tightly-controlled news. Private media are severely restricted, with radio stations and newspapers having to pay large licence fees. A media bill passed in March 2002 was considered a threat to press freedom. The law set up a commission whose powers range from issuing licences to jailing journalists. In 2004, further legislation was introduced allowing for jail terms for journalists found guilty of libel or sedition.

• The Observer is a daily newspaper in English.
• Other publications include The Independent, Foroyaa (bi-weekly) and The Point (thrice-weekly).

• The government operates the only national television station, Gambia Television.
• Premium TV Network is a private satellite channel.

• State-run national broadcaster Radio Gambia transmits programmes in English and local languages.
• Private stations include Radio 1 FM (music), West Coast Radio and Sud FM.
• Radio France Internationale is available via an FM relay.