By Omar Bah
The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) has signed a public-private partnership agreement with the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC) on Friday to address compliance gaps and foster working relationships.
The agreement provides means for the two government institutions to collaborate on areas of data sharing with a specific interest in protecting the economic interests of the country.
Signed by the Managing Director of SSHFC and the Commissioner General of GRA, the MoU is expected to foster close working relationships between the two institutions.
The SSHFC Managing Director, Saloum Malang, said both GRA and his institution have a common interest, which is to serve the interests of the Gambia and its people.
“While GRA has tax compliance as a challenge, we also have our contributions as a challenge. Sometimes employers will deliberately decide to understate their numbers of employees or salaries just to avoid paying the required contributions,” he said.
Mr. Malang said the MoU will allow the two institutions to share vital information for the purpose of promoting transparency and accountability.
We feel that it is necessary for us as government institutions to come together and address some of these challenges together because we cannot continue in isolation. If we do, we won’t succeed as a nation,” he said.
Mr. Malang added that heads of government institutions should work together and complement each other where necessary.
For his part, GRA Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe said the MoU will allow both institutions to leverage each other’s strengths and resources to achieve their shared goals, which are to promote economic growth, ensure compliance, and uplift social welfare in The Gambia.”
“The MoU will also foster mutual learning, capacity building, and the sharing of best practices between the two institutions. GRA and SSHFC are fully committed to upholding the principles of transparency, accountability, and integrity in all joint endeavors. We are confident that this MoU will pave the way for future collaborative projects and initiatives,” he said.
CG Darboe encourages all stakeholders to remain committed to “our shared goals and objectives, working collaboratively to build a stronger partnership for the benefit of The Gambia.”
