NRA’s ASYCUDA Project underway

Acting Commissioner for Customs and Excise Department of the National Revenue Authority, Abu Bakarr Finnoh has revealed that efforts to introduce the ASYCUDA system of Customs operation in the country are underway and that at the moment, the NRA has gone miles in the preparatory stage . The introduction of the ASYCUDA system into customs operation is part of NRA’s modernisation plan. The ASYCUDA system is as major component aimed at migrating from the current manual system with a large number of tedious steps to an automated system.

ASYCUDA, an acronym meaning Automated System for Customs Data is a computer software package that is used by Customs Administrations in many countries, in processing documents which relate to export and importation of goods. It practically ensures fast clearance of goods, and at the same time accounting for revenue collected and compilation of trade statistics. The project is expected to cover areas like the Freetown Port, Lungi International Airport and the main border offices in Gendema in the Pujehun district and Gbalamuya in the Kambia district.

Abu Bakarr Finnoh, Acting Commissioner Customs and Excise

Speaking recently, Commissioner Finnoh said, the NRA is determined to enhance customs service delivery to the business community in Sierra Leone and that the Authority is also aimed at improving on the revenue collection drive as well as personnel administration. Speaking on the achievements made so far in the introduction of the system, Commissioner Finnoh said, the NRA has completed the configuration and codification of the procedures involved , and that the nra has also ‘installed the production services, the Training/Development server, the Web Server and Back-Up Server’

Finnoh said, the leadership of the NRA is a committed one and as such, the establishment of project emails has also been made possible. ‘We have been able as an Authority to conduct trainings for shipping agencies and freight consolidators on the completion and submission of Manifests and XML Files for electronic manifest, we have being able to train personnel of the Port Authority on their role in the exit of goods released by Customs and we have also completed two sets of Functional training locally delivered by visiting and resident United Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) advisors in 2008’.

In May this year, the ASYCUDA Project Team undertook overview training for over three hundred participants, including 191 Customs Staff, 158 Customs Brokers and 28 Customs and Excise Department/NRA Senior Managers. The training itself was climaxed with an exams organized for Operational Customs Staff at the Bishop Johnson Memorial School.

Speaking on the next steps to be undertaken, Commissioner Abu Bakarr Finnoh said, they shall be working on the Bureau DTI Facility soon.’ The adoption of the current revised Customs Laws by cabinet is also underway.

On latest successes of the NRA, Commissioner Finnoh said, within the first half of this year the NRA has collected a total sum of three hundred and twenty five billion Leones and that they are ever committed to generating more revenue for government as prescribed by law. ‘It is only when people support us that we can succeed’. He ended