For decades, fuel smuggling and under-declaration quietly drained public revenue in The Gambia, distorting competition and weakening trust across the petroleum supply chain. Today, that narrative is changing, driven by a digital fuel integrity solution that is transforming how fuel is monitored, traced, and protected.
The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) credits the Fuel Integrity Marking Solution with significantly tightening control over the petroleum sector since its rollout last year.
According to Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe, the system has closed long-standing loopholes that previously enabled illicit trade.
“Before this solution, revenue losses in the petroleum sector were enormous due to smuggling and under-declaration,” Darboe said. “Today, we are securing revenue while ensuring fairness for compliant fuel importers.”
The solution, implemented by the GRA in partnership with SICPA Gambia, functions like a biological DNA trace for fuel. Every liter is marked with a unique chemical identifier that cannot be removed, diluted, or altered. This allows authorities to verify fuel authenticity at any point along the supply chain, from depots to retail stations.
Across the country, GRA enforcement teams equipped with mobile analysers conduct routine and surprise inspections. Fuel samples are tested on the spot, and any deviation in marker concentration immediately flags adulteration or smuggling.
At a retail station in Lamin, mobile laboratory technician Foday Ceesay describes the process as both precise and efficient.
“We begin by confirming the volume supplied, then collect samples directly from the pumps for instant testing,” Ceesay explained. “Within minutes, we can determine whether the fuel is compliant.”
Beyond enforcement, the initiative has strengthened accountability and transparency in fuel distribution. Each consignment is traceable, ensuring that fuel reaching consumers has passed through legitimate channels.
SICPA Gambia’s General Manager, Momodou Clark Jarra, says the technology’s true value lies in restoring trust across the system.
“This solution creates confidence for the government, for fuel operators, and ultimately for consumers that the fuel they are buying is legitimate and properly regulated,”Jarra said.
The success of the programme has drawn regional attention. Earlier this month, a high-level delegation from Sierra Leone’s National Revenue Authority visited Banjul to study The Gambia’s approach as part of efforts to strengthen their own fuel compliance systems.
For The Gambia, the fuel marking solution now stands as a model of how technology-driven oversight can safeguard public revenue, promote fair competition, and build a cleaner, more transparent petroleum market.
