The Commissioner General of Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), Yankuba Darboe, yesterday buttressed the high professionalism and commitment and dedication of his staff, saying that collecting billions of dalasis annually or monthly for government is not a child's play as it requires a very serious minded and competent staff.

He made this statement whilst addressing over 25 GRA staff at the opening ceremony of a two-day intensive training in Risk Management.

As tax administrators, Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe said it is a reality that risk management is indeed one of the most critical components in "our work since we are tasked with ensuring that our tax system, processes and procedures are fair, effective and compliant with the laws."

"However, as with any complex process, in revenue collection there are always potential risks; risks of natural occurrence, non compliance, fraud, operational inefficiencies and reputational damage."

"This is more reason why effective risk management is at the core of our business and efforts to maintain a robust and trustworthy tax environment."

Competency in enterprise risk management (ERM) enables GRA's management to effectively deal with uncertainty and associated risks enhancing the capacity to build value for the authority.

The training intends to build the capacity of participants in risk management, embed risk management in the culture of GRA and equip participants with the techniques for identifying and managing risks.

"Therefore this training aims to strengthen our collective abilities to identify, assess, and effectively manage risk. It will also expose participants to the various tools and techniques that help anticipate potential challenges, mitigate risks proactively and respond swiftly and effectively to risks likely to occur at the workplace.