GRA launches pilot phase of electronic invoicing system to modernize tax administration  

The pilot follows the official launch of the broader Electronic Invoicing Project by the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs a few months ago. It also comes after Cabinet approved the regulatory framework to govern the system’s implementation, providing what Darboe called “the legal certainty and institutional foundation” for the reform.

“Today, we move from planning to implementation; from policy to practice,” the Commissioner General said. He noted that the system is a central pillar of GRA’s wider digital transformation agenda, alongside ongoing investments in digital tax administration.

Darboe said the reform aligns The Gambia with global trends where tax administrations are using digital tools to improve efficiency, strengthen compliance, and enhance transparency.

For businesses, the system is designed to reduce manual paperwork, improve record management, minimize errors, and lower the cost of compliance through better audit trails and more accurate tax reporting. 

For GRA, real-time access to transaction data will strengthen compliance risk management, improve revenue assurance, reduce tax leakages, and enable more responsive taxpayer services.

“More importantly, improved revenue mobilization creates greater fiscal space for Government to invest in better schools, improved healthcare, quality roads, agriculture, security, and other essential public services,” Darboe stated.

GRA said it deliberately adopted a phased rollout. The pilot phase will be used to test the system and processes, identify challenges, and gather feedback from participating businesses before nationwide implementation.

“Taxpayers are not subjects of tax administration, they are partners in building a stronger revenue system,” Darboe said, thanking the businesses taking part in the pilot for their confidence in the reform.

The Authority pledged continued technical support, taxpayer education, and stakeholder engagement to ensure businesses are prepared as the system expands. The goal, he said, is not just a new compliance requirement, but “a tax environment that is fairer, simpler, more transparent, and more conducive to doing business.”

Darboe acknowledged the Government of The Gambia, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry responsible for the Digital Economy, the PPP Directorate, and technical partner Worldwide AVATAR Technologies for their support. He also commended GRA’s Electronic Invoicing Project Team and staff for their work.

He concluded that the system will enhance transparency, improve voluntary compliance, and strengthen domestic revenue mobilization. “The launch of this pilot marks not the end of a project, but the beginning of a new chapter in the digital transformation of tax administration in The Gambia,” he said.