The tour that started on 19 December 2023 is headed by the GRA chairperson Madam Lucy Fye- Jagne.
The board comprises representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs as well as Ministry of Trade.
The tour affords the GRA board and management chance to meet their staff on the ground and have knowledge regarding their working condition, progresses made by various tax offices and customs posts. They would also have information on challenges staff face in various outlets in the regions and offer solutions to overcome those challenges.
At a joint meeting at Amdalai Border Customs Post, Lamin M. Touray, tax manager, Barra Tax Office, welcomed the delegation in NBR and expressed delight to see the GRA board and senior management.
He informed the GRA visiting delegation that Barra Tax office has 130 files including 3 corporate tax payers.
According to Mr. Touray, Barra Tax Office collected 98% of its target by the end of November 2023.
Touray also highlighted some of their working challenges, citing the need to refurbish the Barra office, replace some computers and help enforce the tax collection on boats at Barra.
Also speaking, Yusupha Cham, manager Amadali Border Customs, described the visit as a big morale boost and motivation for his staff.
He informed the GRA delegation that most of the challenges that his office faced have been addressed by management of GRA over the period under review. However, he pointed out the need to provide a standby generator.
Mr. Cham further informed the GRA top brass that new challenges have also emerged including the lack of designated examination area for incoming cargo and parking space for incoming foreign vehicles.
“This is due to the increase in the volume of foreign cargo as well as an increase in the number of foreign vehicles imported through Amadali,” he said. “Currently cargo examination is done on the highway, and this poses risk to both our personnel and also impedes the traffic flow.”
He specifically thanked Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe for accelerating the digital transforming of customs processes, saying the ASYCUDA World and the e-Tracking systems have been implemented at Admallai with great success.
He added that ASYCUDA World has brought better speed, accuracy and reliability and made data collection and analysis easier. The e-tracking, he added, is also in full swing and has eliminated the need for human escorts and mitigated revenue risk associated with the former system.
Addressing the meeting, Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe expressed how impressive he was with the level of cooperation between the GRA and other sister security services at Amdalai Border Post. He thus commended both managers and staff for their commitment in their revenue collection. He, however, cited that without the security, revenue collection could not have taken place. “We cherish the relationship that we found in Amdalai. We are here as Senior Management and GRA Board to meet you and listen to your challenges, progress achieved and see how to help you to overcome those challenges to ensure proper revenue collection,” he said.
For her part, the chairperson of the GRA Board, Madam Lucy Fye-Jagne advised the staff to always consider GRA as a very reputable institution, while urging them to always be protective of the institution’s image.
