The management of the Gambia Revenue Authority is intensifying training of its staff as the institution continues to mobilise efforts to transform and modernise its current operations.
Yesterday, the institution commenced a five- day training on trade facilitation focusing mainly on customs and the enterprises management department. The staffers will also be trained on disaster and risk management and other activities pertinent to GRA’s daily operations.
The training is funded by GIZ through World Customs Organisation WCO’s capacity building directorate.
The Commissioner General of GRA Yankuba Darboe, said the training is a follow up project support to the institution designed to further strengthen its reform and modernisation efforts and to help it develop a business continuity plan document.
The GRA boss said his office with support from GIZ and WCO has undertaken many reforms and modernisation projects to implement the priority trade facilitation measures of the WTO-TFA.
“The project includes but is not limited to time release study (TRS) and risk management to bring about improved efficiency in the GRA’s clearance processes and procedures and as well make The Gambia an attractive place for foreign direct investment (FDI),” he said.
He added that GRA through its corporate strategic plan 2020-2024, has taken the implementation of trade facilitation measures as “one of its strategic priority objectives.”
The training workshop, he added, is yet another clear testimony to the continued collaboration that exists between GRA and its national and international partners to achieve this strategic objective”.
Darboe further stressed that the GRA board and management are fully committed to providing the necessary resources to undertake the necessary reforms that will enhance trade facilitation while at the same time optimizing control.
Benard Ebinden, the World Customs Organisation’s regional development manager West and Central Africa, said his office is committed to continue supporting GRA’s reform and modernisation agenda.
He said his organisation has provided a lot of support to the GRA in the areas of risk management and capacity building.
Alieu Bittaye, the director of risk management at GRA and board chairperson, Lucy Fye Jagne extolled GIZ through WCO for the partnership saying the project will undoubtedly contribute in improving service delivery at GRA.
