The National Revenue Authority is said to be putting mechanisms in place for the reopening of the Koindu Customs Posts in the Kailahun district, east of Sierra Leone. The reconstruction was undertaken by NRA with support from the Department for International Development (DFID).
Koindu customs post used to help the central government in its revenue mobilization drive but the civil war that lasted for 11 years saw the complete destruction of Koindu, especially the infrastructure. With support from DFID, a total of 10 houses for junior staff and 2 houses for senior staff with other facilities, including office space have been constructed in Koindu. In Beudu, which is 32 Kilometers from Guinea, a complete customs border post with facilities for immigrations department has also been reconstructed.
According to reports, the commissioning of the customs posts is expected to be conducted this month. Last week, a team from NRA visited the customs posts in Koindu and Beudu as a way of meeting with stakeholders for the reopening.
In a meeting held by the NRA team with community people at the Koindu Court Barry, Chief Samuel S. Kondoh of Koindu Section revealed that the reopening of Koindu will be an indication that development is on its way to Koindu.
Speaking at the Koindu Court Barry past Friday, Chief Samuel S. Kondoh said, they appreciate government’s commitment towards reviving the customs posts in Koindu but asked that the road condition be also taken into consideration. ‘Our roads are not good, please take this message to government, even as we are envisaging development in this area with the reopening of a Koindu customs posts’, he said
Speaking earlier, Alimamy O Kamara, NRA’s Deputy Director for Administration lauded the efforts of the community for providing the land for the construction of staff quarters and offices and also called on them to be involved in the preparation for the commissioning. “Community participation in the whole process is very relevant …” he told the gathering.
Similar comments were also made by Gerald Ganda Director of Information and Technology who pleaded with the people to see the effort of NRA as part of the development process for the country.
The reopening of Koindu Customs Posts is said to be a way of increasing on revenue mobilization by the NRA and also will help the NRA in tackling smuggling and encouraging trade.
The reopening is scheduled for this month.
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