The Gambia Revenue Authority Elevates the Expertise of Officers in Rules of Origin

11 July 2023

The EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme, funded by the European Union and run by the World Customs Organization (WCO), held an Advanced Training on Rules of Origin workshop in Banjul, The Gambia, from 3 to 7 July 2023, in partnership with the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA). Customs officials from various units and border stations within the Customs & Excise department participated in this workshop.  This workshop followed on from the Basic training on rules of origin workshop that was held in Banjul in November 2022.

The objective of the workshop was to assist GRA in enhancing its knowledge of preferential rules of origin. The training aimed to enable Customs officials to enhance their understanding of rules of origin, including AfCFTA rules of origin, and heighten their capacity to analyze rules of origin requests and queries, and address day-to-day issues related to rules of origin within their organization.

The opening ceremony of the workshop was attended by members of GRA's Executive Management, led by the Commissioner General. In his welcoming remarks, the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr. Alhagie K. Mbye, emphasized the importance of the training, considering the Authority's reform agenda and the challenges faced in determining the origin of goods. He urged officers to actively participate in the workshop.

The Deputy Commissioner General, Mr. Kemo Sonko, highlighted the vision and mission of the GRA in achieving excellence, which is anchored in the strategic Plan 2020-2024. He commended the selected officers for their performance in the previous training, qualifying them to proceed to the current one. He challenged the participants to enhance their capacities and assist the administration in implementing rules of origin.

During his opening remarks, the Commissioner General, Mr. Yankuba Darboe, expressed gratitude to the WCO and the EU for their continuous support and response to The Gambia's request for assistance in building capacity on rules of origin. Mr. Darboe emphasized that capacity building and digitalization are crucial for the efficiency of Customs administrations. He also mentioned that this workshop will be followed by a Training of Trainers (ToT) to ensure sustainability.

Throughout the five-day workshop, participants worked on key concepts for proper origin determination, operational and procedural issues, and the establishment of efficient origin management. The WCO team presented the in-depth core origin provisions, including the Guidelines on Origin Certification and Preferential Origin Verification, designed to help WCO Members apply the provisions in Free Trade Agreements. Participants then drafted and presented origin scenarios on different provisions.

Participants also engaged in a day of fieldwork at a manufacturing factory, applying the theoretical knowledge they had acquired. As part of their evaluation, they analysed the manufacturing processes, the origin status of the inputs, and the origin status of the final product. Finally, they went through the process of completing the sample AfCFTA certificates.

The EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme will continue working with GRA in preparation for the Train the Trainer (ToT) course, a critical step for on-going capacity in relation to origin matters.  The ToT will further build on what was learnt and ensure sustainable capacity within GRA by working with selected GRA Customs officials to equip them with the skills required to provide training for relevant stakeholders.