He said this will encourage the GRA to tighten its belt by being more committed and dedicated to its work.
Addressing the touring delegation on Tuesday at GRA’s Conference Hall, Darboe described the tour as not only a pride to GRA but also the country at large.
CG Darboe indicated that the visit of the Nigerian Customs College student officers has shown that The Gambia is on track with international best practices. “We have no doubt that as time goes by with unity, Gambia will be like Rwanda in terms of fast development. Rwanda is a country in Africa where all of us including GRA are going for a study tour. If they can turn their country as a model in Africa, we can also do it here in The Gambia,” he said.
According to CG Darboe, Nigerian Customs officers want to have the best practices in terms of procedures and practices on customs operation. “This is why they are coming to The Gambia for a study tour.”
Mr. Darboe commended the Management and Board of the Authority through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs for its steadfastness in the reforms modernisation. He further revealed that GRA is on many reforms to enhance its revenue collection and build the capacity of the staff.
He also advised the Nigerian Customs student officers to look at the way GRA is structured and the way and manner it is building capacity for its staff. He added that GRA is moving with its digitalization for tax collection, which he said is really helping GRA in revenue collection.
Mr. Darboe assured the Nigerian delegation of his office’s support to ensure that they get the requisite knowledge needed from GRA.
Deputy commissioner and head of Domestic Taxes, Essa Jallow, described the study tour as a milestone achievement in the history of GRA, recalling that this is the second time Nigerian students have come for a study tour in The Gambia.
“We appreciate this and surely this will avail them the opportunity to share and gather a lot of materials that will be helpful to their career. He also harped on the relationship between Gambia and Nigeria, while thanking the Nigerian customs administration for the trust and confidence bestowed on GRA.
