Dubai is preparing to host a decisive Congress in 2025 for the future of the global postal service. Among the major figures in the running, Isaac Gnamba-Yao, Director General of the Post of Côte d’Ivoire and current President of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Board of Directors, stands out with a clear ambition: to give a new impetus to the UPU around the values of solidarity, fairness, and innovation.
With over 26 years of experience in the postal, financial, telecommunications, and digital sectors, Isaac Gnamba-Yao is not just seeking a position: he embodies a vision. That of a strengthened UPU, connected to the realities on the ground and resolutely focused on the future. “I am ready to put my experience, energy, and determination at the service of our Union,” he declared during the 43rd session of the Pan African Postal Union Board of Directors in Arusha, Tanzania.
A seasoned leader, trained at the MDE Business School and the ENAP in Quebec, he has led significant reforms at the helm of the Ivorian Post, modernizing services, mobilizing teams, and positioning the company as a competitive and dynamic postal player in Africa.
His candidacy is based on four major axes: to give a new dynamic to a more agile UPU; ensure fair representation of regions; promote technological innovation; and integrate postal action into a logic of environmental sustainability. “Regionalization will be the foundation of our policy, to meet the specific needs of each member country,” he asserts.
The Dubai 2025 Congress will mark a strategic turning point. Through the adoption of the 2026-2029 roadmap, member states will lay the groundwork for the future of the global postal service. Isaac Gnamba-Yao aspires to be the “exemplary co-pilot” of the elected Director General, translating policy directions into concrete and measurable actions.
A consensus builder, he claims the “Spirit of Abidjan,” born from the 2022-2025 cycle of the UPU: a new breath of multilateralism and cooperation, forged in shared governance. “I will promote dialogue, listening, and the search for constructive solutions, mobilizing collective intelligence,” he assures.
His candidacy also carries strong symbolic significance for Africa, long perceived as a weak link, but now a driver of postal innovations. “I pledge to make Africa, developing countries, and island states priorities,” he promises, drawing on the best international practices.
An Officer of the Ivorian Order of Merit and Commander of the National Order of Posts and Telecommunications, Isaac Gnamba-Yao embodies a new generation of ambitious, strategic, and globally-minded African leaders. His vision for the UPU is clear: to build a more supportive, fair, and sustainable universal postal service.
The verdict will come in Dubai. But one thing is certain: with Isaac Gnamba-Yao, the voice of African postal services resonates loud and clear.
