Imagine international trade as vehicles on a highway—when border checkpoints become congested, the entire supply chain slows down. The solution lies in optimizing trade facilitation measures and enhancing border control efficiency. This is precisely what the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) are implementing through a new initiative in Gambia.
Funded by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and executed by GIZ, the project supports the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) in implementing priority trade facilitation measures. The primary objectives include establishing more efficient risk management systems and strengthening inter-agency coordination among Gambia's border control authorities to improve overall trade efficiency.
Key Project Components
The initiative focuses on three critical areas of improvement:
- Enhanced Risk Management: By refining risk assessment procedures and implementing advanced technologies, the project will enable GRA to more accurately identify high-risk shipments. This allows authorities to concentrate limited resources on targeted inspections while expediting clearance for low-risk goods, maintaining security without unnecessary delays.
- Interagency Collaboration: Recognizing that trade facilitation extends beyond customs operations, the project will improve coordination between multiple government agencies including health, agriculture, and quality control departments. The initiative promotes information sharing and joint operations to eliminate redundant inspections and streamline processes.
- Implementation of WCO's Time Release Study (TRS): This standardized WCO-developed tool will measure the duration required for cargo clearance and release at Gambian borders. TRS data will provide objective metrics to evaluate current procedures, identify bottlenecks, and guide evidence-based policy improvements to ensure tangible results from trade facilitation measures.
This comprehensive initiative represents a systemic upgrade to Gambia's trade infrastructure—combining process optimization, interdepartmental cooperation, and data-driven tools to create more efficient import/export procedures. The anticipated benefits include reduced operational costs for businesses, improved international competitiveness, and broader economic development that ultimately benefits Gambian citizens.