Fifteen Nigerian senior customs officers are arrived in The Gambia for a study tour to learn best international practices from the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA).
Currently, the customs are visiting sites that are of keen interest to their mission to learn namely organizational strategy management operational method.
At a briefing with their Nigerians counterpart at the GRA head office Commissioner General Mr. Yankuba Darboe welcome the delegation to the Gambia on behalf of the board and management of GRA, describing study tour as very important educational visit to the Gambia
He commended the government of Nigerian for the exchange adding that it will greatly foster more cordial relationship between the Gambia and Federal Republic of Nigeria customs administration.
Mr. Darboe further explains to the Nigerian delegation about the organizational structure within the Gambia Revenue Authority.
He said GRA is one institution that comprises seven departments and headed by a board of directors, who oversee the activities of the Authority, adding that there are other two subcommittee of the board that meets every one month.
“GRA also have what is called Top Management which is consisting of directors, and the authority has seven departments. All the departments within GRA are headed by a director except one department which is headed by a deputy director that is the legal and board affairs and they meet once a month at top management meeting and discuss issues of very important to the authority,” he said.
He also told the Nigerian delegation that one of the most important guideline that help the GRA is for organizing monthly meeting once a month at all cost by board of director.
“Currently GRA is in the verge of going into digitalization, saying that right now GRA secure funding from ADB to move to ASTUDA- word. In short GRA is trying to go into digital for better effectiveness and efficiency in the mobilization of resources,” Commissioner General Darboe revealed.
He pointed out that this will help GRA to have easy access to data, noting that the vision of GRA is to go into digital.
He said currently the collection done by the finance department, are all in collaboration with most of the commercial bank in the Gambia.
He said in the collection of taxes can be done at any of the commercial bank in the Gambia and the aim is to reduce taking huge money to bank by the staff in charge.
He also commended his staff for their competency, saying that GRA always employment high professional staff and attached them to their right position for effective delivery.
He also emphasized that GRA top management put more emphasis on training and improving their staff capacity, while he told the Nigerian delegation that at the level of GRA the sky is the limit for its staff to upgrade their knowledge’s and acquired more skills and experience in the higher education.
Head of Nigerian delegation, Pepeu Compt Edede said they are here in the Gambia to learn best international Practices to better help them to facilitate international trade.
He commended the government of the Gambia through GRA and urged the GRA Authority to give them raw materials to learn from.
“We will implore more opportunity in the Gambia. We hope that at the end of this one week tour the delegation will learn more in the Gambia and serve as agent of change,” he noted.