Gambia Revenue Authority boosts customs compliance
The second phase of a post-clearance audit reform programme aims to modernise regulations and improve efficiency.
The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) has begun the second phase of its Post-Clearance Audit (PCA) capacity-building programme with the World Customs Organization (WCO). The aim is to tighten customs compliance, lift revenue collection and bring the audit framework into line with international practice. The programme will review, amend and modernise the existing PCA Regulations and Manual.
Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe, speaking at the opening, said the revised framework should make audits more efficient and boost domestic revenue. He said revenue recovery by the PCA Unit rose from about D15 million in 2023 to about D27 million in 2025. Importer compliance also improved between 2024 and 2025, he added.
Since becoming fully operational, the Unit has audited more than 60 major importers, from 2023 to date. Representatives of the UK's tax and customs agency, HM Revenue and Customs, and of the WCO praised The Gambia's trade facilitation reforms. The UK-supported Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme is now in its eleventh year, with funding secured through 2029.
Why it mattersImporters and traders face the revised audit regulations and manual, which are meant to guide how the PCA Unit checks their customs declarations.