By Omar Bah
The new Senegalese director general of customs, Dr Mbaye Ndiaye, and his Gambian counterpart, Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority, Yankuba Darboe, have committed to tackling challenges affecting trade between the two countries.
The Senegalese head of customs, who is touring installations in his country, was in Banjul on Tuesday to pay a courtesy call on his Gambian brother. DG Ndiaye and his delegation were treated to a dinner on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s family meeting, which focused on issues affecting businesses at the borders.
The exchanges between the two parties also focused on mutual assistance, co-action, and the spirit of fraternity between the agents of the two institutions.
The parties identified concrete and common actions and committed to implementing them in the very short term to strengthen the facilitation of the movement of people and goods but also to improve the security of the supply chain.
Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe welcomed the choice of the Senegalese DG to visit The Gambia in his first official outing.
He said the cooperation between the two customs administrations is experiencing a new beginning based on pragmatism in the implementation of common agreements.
CG Darboe disclosed that there will be a major meeting between the two customs. He said the GRA will follow up on the issues they discussed during the Banjul visit and build on them.
“It is important that when you are entrusted to lead a place, you make sure that you build strong structures that will serve as your legacy so that whoever comes after you will build on them,” he said. He welcomed Senegalese DG’s vision between the two countries and assured him that the GRA would give him all the necessary support.
“I want to assure you that the GRA is committed to building a strong working relationship with you. We all know the tension that usually happens at the borders emanates from the business community and the customs, but whenever it happens, we should make sure that we address it swiftly,” he said.
He reminded the business community that the work of customs goes beyond collecting. “We are responsible for making sure that goods that are coming to our countries have no security implications,” he said.
Dr Mbaye Ndiaye expressed his commitment to working closely with the GRA to address all challenges hindering businesses on the Senegambia border. He said the relationship between the two countries should go beyond having hitches on their borders. Dr Ndiaye added that the two customs and the people of Senegambia should take advantage of the fruitful relationship the Gambia and Senegal heads of state continue to share.
“We should not just stop at talking and visiting each other; we should seize the moment, reinforce the relationship, and build a strong foundation that will last forever,” he said.
He disclosed that they are working on creating two bureaus of control in both countries for authorities to remotely control transactions.
“We want to ensure that we are able to exchange information on a regular basis. We also want to have annual meetings between the two customs to be able to have an inventory of goods coming in and out of the two countries,” he said.
He extended a special invitation to the GRA to pay a courtesy visit to him in Senegal.
Essa Jallow, Deputy Commissioner GRA, complimented the good relationship the two countries continue to share. He said the Senegalese Customs DG’s decision to choose the Gambia as the first country to visit is a renewed hope that the relationship between the two customs will even get better. “The relationship between us should not just be about rhetoric but action-based, and what you demonstrated today is a morale booster,” he said.
The GRA Commissioner of Customs, Alhagie Mbye, said the Authority is very pleased to receive the Senegalese DG of Customs. He reminded the Senegal delegation of the importance of building a very strong relationship between the two customs. “I am convinced that under the leadership of Dr Mbye, all the protocols that we signed will be implemented for the common good of both nations,” he said.
