Leadership training for GRA managers underway

Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) Monday commenced a ten-day leadership and management training for senior staff and upcoming managers of the Authority, at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Kololi.

Hosted by the GRA under the auspices of the World Customs Organization (WCO), the training, which aimed at building the capacity of GRA staff on leadership and management, targeted twenty GRA staff including senior management staff and upcoming managers.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the acting commissioner general and the head of customs, Yankuba Darboe, said the management of GRA is very grateful to be at the receiving end of the World Customs Organization’s benevolence, stating further that the WCO had been assisting the GRA in various areas, especially in capacity building.

Among the most recent, Mr Darboe noted, was the Human Resources management through the West African Customs Administration Modernization (WACAM) project.

He added that the GRA hosted a regional training workshop on Human Resources management in February 2013 and since then the project had hosted a number of missions to assist GRA HR and Admin unit in various areas.

“We are very pleased to be associated with the WCO in hosting this very essential and timely training seminar on leadership and management development under the capacity building committee Customs Capacity Enhancement in the sub-Saharan Africa (CCEA-SSA) project, which is funded by the World Bank,” Mr Darboe stated.

Mr Darboe further noted that the training focuses on learning and management development, training and e-learning on the integration of existing and new e-learning modules that are relevant to the 21st century customs, alongside expert support in the modernization of training systems, which the GRA looks forward to benefit from in the near future.

“This training could not have come at a more appropriate time given the fact that the Authority places a high premium on capacity building among its list of priorities and more so in the area of leadership, and management,” he said.

“We believe that at the end of the training, participants would refresh and acquire new skills to improve their managerial and leadership roles.”

He said the training would go a long way in filling the capacity gaps, as well as to help improve the Authority’s management’s human and capacity resources.

He used the opportunity to urge the participants to take the training seriously and ensure all sessions are attended; otherwise they would not be certificated.

The deputy permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Madam Juldeh Ceesay, said as a government, they place great value on building capacities for improved performance and quality service delivery by their national institutions.

She said the Customs Capacity Enhancement in sub-Saharan Africa dubbed supporting customs modernization and reform through responsive 21st century approaches to leadership, management and training, was a project the Government of The Gambia highly appreciated.

DPS Juldeh Ceesay re-affirmed the political will of the government for the modernization and reform of customs, including the prioritization of leadership and management development and training.

She also encouraged participants to take the training serious and give it the attention it deserves as it is a unique opportunity for them to be trained by world-class trainers on home soil.