What enables a national customs administration to evolve from bureaucratic red tape into a catalyst for economic growth? The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) is turning this vision into reality through an ambitious initiative to align its performance assessment framework with its 2025–2029 strategic plan. A multi-year partnership with the World Customs Organization’s (WCO) Trade Facilitation Acceleration Program is driving this transformation.
From March 10–13, 2025, a pivotal domestic workshop convened in Banjul, Gambia, focusing on implementing the WCO’s Performance Measurement Mechanism (PMM). GRA Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe emphasized the PMM’s role in evaluating customs performance, enhancing operational capacity, and strengthening evidence-based policymaking—all critical to improving the business climate and economic development.
Capacity Building: Elevating Customs Efficiency
The workshop equipped GRA with tools to measure operational effectiveness across key areas: trade facilitation, revenue collection, enforcement, and institutional development. By refining these metrics, GRA aims to streamline internal processes while amplifying its contribution to Gambia’s economic growth.
Trade Facilitation: A Growth Accelerator
Special attention was given to implementing and assessing trade facilitation measures like the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program, Coordinated Border Management (CBM), voluntary compliance frameworks, and automation. These initiatives align with both the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement and GRA’s five-year strategy, designed to reduce business costs, enhance competitiveness, and attract foreign investment.
Interactive Sessions: Cultivating a Performance Culture
The workshop’s dynamic participant engagement reflected GRA’s commitment to embedding performance evaluation into its strategic DNA. Only through continuous assessment, officials concluded, can the authority achieve its goals and sustain Gambia’s economic momentum.
WCO Partnership: Sustaining Reform
Funded by the UK, the WCO’s Acceleration Program continues supporting Gambia in implementing sustainable trade reforms and inclusive growth policies. The initiative provides technical assistance to developing nations adopting the Trade Facilitation Agreement, helping them integrate into global trade networks.
Inside the WCO’s Performance Measurement Mechanism
The PMM serves as a comprehensive diagnostic tool, enabling customs administrations to:
- Benchmark efficiency in cargo clearance times
- Optimize revenue collection processes
- Sharpen anti-smuggling capabilities
- Assess organizational effectiveness
By analyzing these metrics, customs agencies can pinpoint improvement areas while comparing performance internationally.
Key Initiatives Explained
AEO Program: Certifies trusted traders meeting stringent security standards, granting expedited clearance and fewer inspections—a win-win for businesses and customs risk management.
Coordinated Border Management: Eliminates redundant checks by synchronizing agencies through single-window systems, cutting trade costs by up to 30% in pilot countries.
Automation: Digital tools like electronic declarations and AI-driven risk analysis are reducing processing times while improving detection rates for illicit trade.
Gambia’s Path Forward
Through these reforms, GRA positions Gambia as an emerging trade hub in West Africa. By adopting global best practices and leveraging technology, the authority aims to attract investment, create jobs, and foster sustainable development—proving that modernized customs administrations can indeed become engines of prosperity.