NRA Receives Refurbished Customs House
Mrs. Mariama Jalloh, proprietor of Gical and Mabite Ltd., today, August 2, 2010, in a formal handing over ceremony of the refurbished Customs House of the Customs and Excise Department of the National Revenue Authority (NRA) at Cline Town, Freetown, handed over the keys to the Ag. Commissioner-General of the NRA, Haja Kallah-Kamara. (Photo: NRA staff standing in front of the newly refurbished Customs House)
The value of the refurbishment is Le1.3billion ($425,000). It is part of the sponsorship of Britain’s Department for International Development (DFiD) to the NRA, which was suspended early this year, but, re-continued three months ago. The Corporate Affairs Director in the NRA, Bilal Kargbo, referred to the refurbished building, and the installation of the Automated Systems for Customs Data (ASYCUDA ++), as the “flagship of the NRA’s Modernization Programme”.
Haja Kallah-Kamara said upgrading and modernizing the systems in Customs makes more meaningful the ‘One-Stop-Shop Customs policy’ of the NRA in which brokers, banks, importers and exporters would efficiently do their business under one roof. She said that the Modernization Programme of the NRA has been necessitated because after its first three years of operations (2003 to 2006), the NRA had an impressive revenue performance – with revenue collection rising from 7% of GDP to 12.5% of GDP; “but this was not sustained”.
The Ag. Commissioner-General called for “positive collaboration” among stakeholders and the NRA, because the new computerized systems in the NRA would now mean “time will be saved; costs minimized; and there is now greater transparency” – leading to mutually satisfied taxpayer and government agency.
A member of the NRA Board of Directors, G. Melvin Tucker, said that since the integration of the Customs and Excise Department and the Income Tax Department in 2003 to form the NRA, there is still an ongoing effort to “reconcile, amend, and integrate cultures and habit”; and he noted in an impassioned tone, “The NRA Board is determined to forge the acceleration of a homogenous NRA with a distinctive culture of excellence, and high integrity among its staff”.
Director Tucker fervidly pointed out that the NRA “is not just a revenue collection agency; it is an integral part of the economic management of the country and vital to its National Security superstructure”. With intensity, Director Tucker said that “the nation has the right to demand highest standard of excellence from the NRA”. The refurbished building has the fully air-conditioned rooms of ASYCUDA++ computers and servers, and their backup systems. There are also rooms for Risk Management, Training Room, the Long Room; as well as a booth for the ECOBANK in the building. The intelligence wing of Customs, the PSSD has several offices in the building. Director Tucker said that an advertisement will shortly be placed inviting all banks in the country to put in bids to become involved in facilitating revenue collection for the NRA, should they wish to do so.
Thomas Kamara, Director of the consulting engineers, T. & S Co. Ltd, (a consortium of architects, engineers, and surveyors based at No 1 ECOWAS Street in Freetown) praised the Customs staff for their patience as the contractors would be hammering and welding while the Customs workers were still using the building.
The Director of Modernization, Alfred Demby, the Director of Information Communication Technology, Gerald H. Ganda, the Director of Finance Abdulai Conteh, the Ag. Director of the Income Tax Department, Ibrahim Sorie Kamara, the Deputy Director, Customs (in charge of the Preventive Service and Special Duties), Retired Michael Conteh, and the Head of Public Affairs and Tax Education Unit in the Authority, Oswald Hanciles, were also present.
In his Vote of Thanks, the Ag. Commissioner of the Customs and Excise Department, Alimamy S. Kamara, said that the NRA’s Customs House used to be denigrated for being “one of the worst in the world”, but, the refurbished building has now made Customs House “one of the best in the world”. He assured the NRA Board and Management that not only would there be increased revenues in Customs, but, the newly refurbished building would always be kept in tip-top shape by Customs staff.
Oswald Hanciles, NRA
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