The GRA board of directors, accompanied by selected members of management, recently concluded a five-day “benchmark visit” to the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA). The visit, funded by the IMF Arfitac West 2 Office in Ghana, aimed to help GRA officials gain valuable insights into ZRA’s successful digitalisation reforms and technology-driven initiatives in revenue collection.
“The opportunity to engage with our counterparts at ZRA provided us with invaluable knowledge and best practices that will undoubtedly enhance our operations at GRA. We look forward to applying the lessons learned from our visit to further strengthen our capabilities and drive the digital reforms within GRA to better serve our esteemed taxpayers,” said GRA board chairperson, Mrs Lucy Fye-Jagne.
The visit focused on key areas crucial to GRA’s ongoing digital transformation journey, including e-tax and e-payment strategies. The team delved into ZRA’s successful implementation of electronic tax filing and payment systems, gaining insights into processes, procedures, and best practices.
In the areas of tax automation systems and IT infrastructure, the delegation explored ZRA’s automation systems and IT infrastructure, gleaning valuable knowledge for optimising GRA’s own technology backbone.
In the recruitment strategy for IT staff, development, and training, the visiting team focused on understanding ZRA’s approach to attracting and developing skilled IT personnel, a critical aspect for GRA’s digitalization efforts.
The team also explored ZRA’s strategies for data storage, management, and analysis, seeking best practices for leveraging data insights and artificial intelligence to improve revenue collection and compliance and how ZRA seamlessly integrates different systems, aiming to gain knowledge for optimising interoperability within GRA’s own IT landscape.
The GRA delegation also learned from ZRA’s strategies for managing compliance risks in a digital environment, which are essential for ensuring efficient tax collection, and had high-level engagements with the ZRA’s top management, including its commissioner general. The team also visited the Chirundu One Stop Border Post between Zambia and Zimbabwe and ZRA’s Innovation Hub, witnessing firsthand the demonstration of ZRA’s homegrown revenue collection system called TaxOnline and its capabilities.
“This benchmark visit has been incredibly valuable. We have gained invaluable insights and best practices that will be instrumental in guiding our own digital transformation journey. We are confident that what we learnt will empower us to enhance our revenue collection efficiency, improve taxpayer service, and ultimately contribute to the economic development of The Gambia,” remarked GRA commissioner general, Yankuba Darboe.
The two institutions also signed an MoU to formalise their relation.
