By Modou Ceesay
Yankuba Darboe, the Commissioner General of The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), stands as a transformative leader whose vision and dedication have elevated him to a status that is difficult to replace.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and an MBA in Management, training courses and seminars in Customs and Tax Administration in The Gambia and internationally and over 30 years of experience in customs operations, border protection, and trade facilitation, he has guided the GRA through significant modernisation and reform.
Under his leadership, the authority has embraced technological advancements and improved operational efficiency, making the GRA a model government entity in The Gambia. Darboe’s commitment to collaboration—both within government and with regional and international organisations—has strengthened the authority’s capacity and reputation. He has led the GRA’s accession to the Revised Kyoto Convention, signalling a commitment to transparent, efficient, and secure trade practices.
Beyond policy and process, Darboe has fostered a culture of excellence and people-centric leadership through capacity-building initiatives. His ability to balance trade facilitation with robust compliance and security measures has contributed to Gambia’s economic growth and positioned the GRA as a benchmark for customs administration. His achievements and leadership style have left a lasting legacy, making him an almost irreplaceable asset to the authority and the country despite building a strong team around him with different academic qualifications.
Rising through various ranks, including Deputy Commissioner General and Head of Customs & Excise, CG Darboe remains instrumental in transforming the GRA into a model of efficiency and excellence in revenue mobilisation.
Prior to his appointment as the Commissioner General, Mr Darboe served in various positions in the then Customs and Excise Department.
He is the current Chairperson of the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) and a Council member to African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF). He has spent his entire professional career in the pursuit of revenue mobilisation and has overseen significant reforms transforming the GRA into a Revenue Administration recognised for excellence in Revenue Mobilisation and Service Delivery.
His leadership qualities have significantly propelled the GRA to new heights through strategic reforms and visionary management. Darboe has driven the digitalisation of systems and processes, recruited highly qualified personnel, and enhanced capacity building within the Authority. These efforts have raised the corporate profile of the GRA and changed public perceptions positively.
Under Darboe’s stewardship, the GRA has implemented progressive tax reforms, embraced digital innovations, and fostered a culture of transparency and efficiency. His approach includes community engagement through media campaigns, town hall meetings, and outreach programmes to improve tax compliance and encourage small and medium enterprises to register and pay taxes. This inclusive leadership style has helped increase revenue collections from millions to billions of dalasi, meeting and surpassing government targets consistently, with a record of D19.2 billion collected in 2024.
Darboe’s leadership is marked by integrity, commitment, and a team-oriented management style. He has brought institutional stability to the GRA, transforming it from a previously fractious environment into one of tolerance and cohesion. His ability to build trust and work closely with a dedicated team has been critical to the Authority’s success.
His leadership has earned him national recognition, including the Gambian of the Year Award in 2023, honouring his transformative impact on the GRA and his role in supporting national development through effective revenue mobilisation.
His visionary leadership, strategic reforms, commitment to transparency, and ability to inspire and manage a professional team has propelled The Gambia Revenue Authority to a new level of performance, making it a pivotal institution in The Gambia’s economic development.
This has made Mr Darboe widely regarded as an irreplaceable technocrat whose leadership has transformed the agency and contributed significantly to The Gambia’s economic development. Rising from an admin clerk to Commissioner General in 2014, Darboe’s 35-year career in customs and revenue mobilisations is marked by steady progression through key roles including Deputy Commissioner General and Head of Customs, showcasing his deep expertise and commitment. The GRA workforce now boasts numerous graduates and chartered accountants, a testament to Darboe’s focus on human resource development and institutional stability.
His leadership style is characterised by team-building and fostering a culture of tolerance and cohesion, replacing previous internal conflicts with collaboration. This approach has helped the GRA consistently surpass government revenue targets.
Key Achievements
Under Darboe’s leadership, the GRA has embraced digital transformation, notably launching the ASYCUDA World system in 2022 and the National Single Window, which have streamlined customs operations, improved efficiency, and reduced leakages in revenue collection.
These reforms enabled GRA to meet unprecedented revenue targets and record monthly collections, attributed directly to digitalisation efforts.
Transparency
The digital tools have enhanced transparency, reduced corruption, improved compliance, and built taxpayer confidence by making processes more accessible and accountable. The introduction of the Digital Tax Stamp system on excisable goods greatly increased revenue from D15 million in 2023 to D100 million in 2024, helping block tax leakages and combat fraud.
CG Darboe emphasised digital transformation in HR, promoting continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and investment in digital tools to build a more competent and motivated workforce.
GRA, under Darboe, has actively learned from digital leaders like Rwanda, adopting best practices in revenue assurance systems to further optimise tax collection and combat tax fraud.
Impact and recognition
Darboe’s digital reforms have been hailed as pivotal for The Gambia’s economic transformation, with his leadership fostering a culture of innovation, transparency, and professionalism within the GRA.
The GRA’s digital transformation is seen as a model for other African tax authorities, with several study tours and international collaborations highlighting its success.
The transformation faced hurdles like limited infrastructure and skills gaps, but these were addressed through stakeholder engagement, government collaboration, and investment in human capital.
Commissioner General Darboe’s digital transformation agenda has fundamentally modernised The Gambia’s revenue administration, setting new standards for efficiency, transparency, and national development.
In sum, Yankuba Darboe is celebrated as a visionary, dedicated, and effective administrator whose expertise and leadership have been pivotal in transforming the GRA into a cornerstone of The Gambia’s economic progress, making him truly irreplaceable.
