By: Fatou Krubally
The Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Chinese Embassy have reaffirmed their growing partnership, with China expanding support for customs modernisation, trade facilitation and staff capacity building at the country’s revenue administration.
The commitment was highlighted yesterday during a visit by officials of the Chinese Embassy to the GRA headquarters in Banjul, where both sides reviewed a decade of cooperation between The Gambia and the People’s Republic of China.
Speaking during the meeting, Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe described China as a key development partner whose support continues to strengthen the country’s customs and tax administration.
Darboe said the recent donation of four CT baggage scanners deployed at the Banjul International Airport has significantly improved customs operations, border security and the detection of prohibited and undeclared goods.
“The support from China has greatly enhanced our operational efficiency and trade facilitation efforts,” he stated.
He further disclosed that 43 GRA staff benefited from specialised training programmes in China in 2025 alone, covering taxation, digital tax administration, customs supervision and taxpayer services.
According to him, eight officers are currently undergoing training in China, while another 14 officials are being processed for additional programmes on customs risk management, smart customs cooperation and tax cooperation initiatives.
Darboe added that during the visit, the Chinese side offered six additional training slots to further support the authority’s human resource development efforts.
Chinese Embassy Councilor Zhang Tong said the cooperation forms part of the broader China-Africa people-to-people exchange initiative, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and The Gambia.
He said China intends to increase opportunities for Gambian officials to participate in professional and cultural exchange programmes.
“We do not see capacity building only as seminars. It is also an opportunity for people-to-people exchange and sharing experiences,” Zhang said.
The Chinese diplomat also highlighted growing trade relations between the two countries, especially following the signing of a quarantine protocol allowing direct export of Gambian groundnuts and cashew to China without additional quarantine procedures.
He noted that China’s zero-tariff policy on Gambian products is expected to create more opportunities for local farmers and businesses while boosting exports to the Chinese market.
Both sides expressed optimism that the partnership would continue to deepen through trade, customs cooperation and institutional support.