By Ousman Saidykhan
The Commissioner General announced on Friday at a press conference in Banjul that the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) collected D20. 83 billion in taxes in 2024—about D5 billion more than in 2023 and D1.9 billion above the target.
Although the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs tasked them with reaching D19.2 billion, the revenue collection agency collected D1.8 billion more than the target, representing 8% of the collection.
The Authority collected D15.79 billion in 2023
Yankuba Darboe said the performance is not the result of increased tax rates, which he said: “remained constant for almost a decade.”
“In absolute terms, the 2024 revenue performance shows a revenue growth of D5 billion from last year, with the Domestic Taxes Department registering a revenue growth of D1.9 billion and the Customs and Excise Department registering a revenue growth of D3 million,” said Yankuba Darboe.
Commissioner Yankuba Darboe said it was a “remarkable achievement” resulting from the “hard work and dedication” of their great team, the support from the government, and the taxpayers, putting more emphasis on their “transformative” reform initiatives, including the digital tax stamps and e-tracking system, for cargo monitoring.
“When compared with the 2023 revenue performance, the Authority recorded a nominal revenue growth of 32%, with the Domestic Taxes Department and Customs and Excise Department growing by 27% and 36%, respectively,” said CG.
The revenue authority has now been tasked with collecting D23 billion by the end of 2025, an average of almost D2 billion monthly.
“The pressure of meeting monthly and annual targets is immense, but I’m confident that with the support of the Board, Management, and the entire staff of the Authority, we will rise to the challenge,” said CG Darboe.
From 2020 to 2022, the GRA collected an average of D11 billion annually. In 2023, the Authority collected D15.79 billion, and in 2024, it collected D20.83 billion.
The Minister of Finance said the increase in tax collected in the past two years is “almost miraculous” while praising GRA and assuring them of the government’s support and guidance in their activities.
“So, cumulatively, the revenue performance has increased 79% over the last two years… we appreciate that, and that was only possible through introducing reforms,” said Seedy Keita.
The chair of the GRA Board, Mrs. Lucy Fye, said the achievement resulted from a collective effort and encouraged everyone to remain proactive, committed, and motivated.
“GRA’s success is a shared responsibility, and I’m confident that with our collective effort, we will achieve greater success in 2025,” said Mrs. Fye-Jagne.
