Africa-Press – Gambia. The Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority, Yankuba Darboe, has attributed the sharp rise in government revenue in recent years to far-reaching institutional reforms and what he described as sustained political support at the highest levels of government.
In an interview with West Coast Radio, Mr. Darboe said annual revenue collections have more than tripled since 2017, reflecting a transformation in how taxes and customs duties are administered.
“Prior to 2017, it was less, around six, five, or four billion per year; today, by the end of November, we are above 23 billion. If you look at that, it is more than 11.6 percent. It is more than triple; this tells you that there is a lot of good work going on,” he said.
Mr. Darboe credited the growth to a suite of modernization measures introduced at the authority, including advanced cargo scanners, electronic tracking systems, fuel marking, and other digital tools designed to curb leakages and improve compliance.
He emphasized that such reforms would not have been possible without strong political backing, arguing that political will is essential to enforcing change in revenue administration.
“To get to this level, you must have political will,” he said. “The reforms we brought in range from state-of-the-art scanners and weighbridges to e-tracking, fuel marking, digital tax stamps, rental income monitoring, the I-Tax system, and electronic VAT receipts.”
The revenue chief also highlighted close coordination with the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the President, saying regular consultations with senior officials help align policy priorities and secure support for new initiatives.
“On a daily basis we talk to the permanent secretaries that are there and some of the directors, and we do have meetings with them, but above that, even the ministers—any minister that comes in there, we do have regular meetings with them, and during those regular meeting consultations, that’s the time I take advantage and I sell the projects to them,” he said.
Beyond policy and technology, Mr. Darboe pointed to the country’s relative peace and stability as a key factor underpinning revenue growth, noting that a more stable environment has encouraged business activity and investment.
“Businesses will never go to a country where there is a problem, so peace and stability are number one. Right now, we have a lot of businesses that are coming in here because there is peace and stability,” he said.
Taken together, he said, reforms, political support, and a stable climate have created the conditions for sustained growth in government revenue.
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