By: Kebba AF Touray
The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) was unanimously nominated during the just concluded World Customs Organization’s Meeting, to host the Director Generals’ sub-regional conference for West and Central Africa 2021.
According to a GRA top official who attended the meeting, this announcement was made during the 133rd / 134th World Customs Organization WCO Director Generals’ Conference held at Brussels from the 27th to 1st July 2019.
The said meeting was attended by the delegations from GRA headed by the commissioner general, in the same vein the Gambian delegation also vied for a vacancy position of the Vice chair of the West customs organization finance committee which was endorsed without any objection.
According to GRA officials in a related development, the Commissioner General also intervened to chair the extra ordinary meeting of the delegates following the resignation of the chair of the debate session causing a deadlock. The delegates hailed the Commissioner General for the courage in taking voluntary intervention to chair the session to success.
However, according to the report at the World Customs Organization WCO, held on the 28th and 29thday of June 2019 at Brussels, Gambia like other countries is a member of the WCO. Since its inception in 2007, The Gambia Revenue Authority has been actively representing The Gambia in the said meeting.
According to the report, WCO has been rendering assistance to its members including the Authority in the areas of capacity building among others.
The conference entails discussion on E-Commerce as an emerging concept and The European Union (EU) Head of delegation held the view that cross border E. Commerce cannot be underestimated. This opinion was expressed by some members present. In this regard, it was highlighted that there should be a tool to analyse data.
In reacting to this development, the GRA top official expressed appreciation and honour to host this conference in the Gambia. The GRA also assured that the conference will be successfully organised as experts are already on the ground to ensure the successful implementation of this sub-regional meeting.
