GRA kicks-start Rigorous Business process Re- Engineering training

The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) was on Monday kicked-start five-day intensive Business Process Re-Engineering training for its staff on AYSCUDA World Project.

The training was presided over by the Deputy Commissioner and Head of Domestic Tax at GRA, Mr. Essa Jallow with technical expert from RAMSYS Training Centre in Ghana.

The ongoing training holding at the Senegambia Beach Hotel has brought together some senior staff of GRA and it will end by 21st November, 2020.

In his opening remarks on behalf of the project Director, Mr. Alhagie Mbye Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Monitoring Unit expressed profound gratitude to participants at the meeting. He described the meeting a “very important and viable training” that will help to achieve the strategic goals of the ASYCUDA World implementation Project.

In order to improve efficiency in domestic revenue mobilization, he said, “GRA supported by our line Ministry has sought assistance to upgrade its current Asycuda ++ system to the latest version called Asycuda World.  And agreement was signed between the Gambia Government  and United Nations conference  on Trade and Development  (UNCTAD) on the implementation of the Asycuda World Project.”

He therefore noted that the ongoing training would give participants the skills and knowledge they need in order to come up with a much expected and valuable Business Process document.

Declaring the training open, the Deputy Commissioner and Head of Domestic Tax at GRA Mr. Essa Jallow expressed that the delivery of this training is ‘an important milestone in the overall project implementation as capacity building is a recipe for success in this endeavour.’

He reminded everyone that the ASYCUDA World Project has been rolled over from the 2015-2019 Corporate Strategic Plans to the current one running from 2020-2024.  “As you may all know, GRA is in the process of rethinking and redesigning the way we work to better support the Authority’s Vision and Mission,” he stated.

However, he added that a Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) Document was successfully drafted with fourteen Customs processes re-engineered.

Mr Jallow acknowledged the trainers for this training, RAMSYS Training Centre of Ghana, who are in the country to deliver the training to participants.

He informed them about the importance the Board and Management of GRA attaches to the project and the training in particular which is part of the reforms ushering in to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of customs administration.

And also, he added, the delivery of quality services to the importers, exporters, clearing and forwarding agents, and shipping lines.