By Fatou Krubally
The Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), Yankuba Darboe, has led a Gambian delegation to the 147th and 148th Sessions of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council in Brussels, Belgium.
The gathering enabled customs leaders discussed measures to strengthen global trade, border security and revenue administration.
The three-day meeting, held from 25 to 27 June, brought together heads of customs administrations and senior officials from WCO member states to review the organization’s activities and deliberate on key issues affecting international customs operations.
Darboe was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner General and Head of Domestic Taxes, Essa Jallow; Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Alhagie K. Mbye; Director of Technical Services, Yahya Manneh; Director of Finance and Accounting, Sarja Camara; and Deputy Commissioner for Technical Support and Monitoring, Kemo Sonko.
The Council, the WCO’s highest decision-making body, considered policy and technical issues, including customs integrity, trade facilitation, customs valuation, rules of origin, tariff classification under the Harmonized System, enforcement, governance, technology and capacity development.
Delegates also discussed strategies to modernize customs administrations through digital transformation, coordinated border management and the increased use of technology and data analytics to improve operational efficiency.
The council endorsed recommendations from the organization’s technical and governance committees, reaffirming the role of customs administrations in facilitating legitimate trade, protecting borders, improving revenue collection and combating illicit trade.
Members also reviewed the WCO Secretary General’s report on the implementation of the organization’s 2025-2026 Strategic Plan and commended the Secretariat for its continued support to member administrations through technical assistance, capacity-building programs and the development of international customs standards.
According to the GRA, the council sessions also provided an opportunity for the Gambian delegation to exchange experiences with customs administrations from other countries and strengthen cooperation with the WCO Secretariat and partner organizations.
The authority said participation in the meeting would support its ongoing reforms aimed at improving service delivery, strengthening compliance, enhancing border management and implementing internationally recognized customs standards to facilitate trade and improve domestic revenue mobilization.