The Gambia Revenue Authority yesterday opened two-day training on transfer pricing at the Senegambia Hotel to equip staff to handle complex international tax transactions and close revenue leaks.
The workshop, run with the African Tax Administration Forum and the World Bank Group, brought together GRA officials, staff from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, and international tax experts.
GRA Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe said transfer pricing is now central to tax administration as multinational corporations expand across borders.
“We want to make sure everybody pays their fair share of taxes when doing business in this country, whether resident or non-resident,” Darboe said.
He said the training supports GRA’s push to modernise tax systems and improve detection of profit shifting and tax avoidance. As part of that effort, GRA plans to set up a dedicated transfer pricing unit to handle compliance, audits, and risk assessments.
Deputy Commissioner General and Head of Domestic Taxes Essa Jallow called transfer pricing expertise “indispensable” for modern revenue administration and urged participants to engage fully. He said GRA is investing in staff development and technology to meet evolving international tax challenges.
Alagie Jallow of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs stressed the link between domestic resource mobilisation and tighter cooperation between tax authorities and policymakers. He said multinational firms drive investment and innovation, but transfer mispricing continues to erode tax bases in developing countries.
“When profits are shifted away from where economic activity occurs, it’s a loss of schools, hospitals, and infrastructure,” he said.
ATAF transfer pricing expert Ahwere Betty said Africa loses billions annually through illicit financial flows and aggressive profit shifting.
The workshop will focus on case studies, audit simulations, and comparability analyses to build operational capacity.
Betty said ATAF’s partnership with GRA and the World Bank aims to help African tax administrations build transfer pricing systems that can respond to global tax challenges.
