The National Revenue Authority (NRA) Commissioner General Haja Kalla Kamara has thanked the Chinese Ambassador and his government for aiding them with Container Inspection Equipment that is now being installed at the Balamuya Checkpoint in Kambia.
Signing the documents yesterday at the Chinese Embassy in Wilberforce Loop, the Commissioner General said China has been a key development partner to Sierra Leone and that she said was evident during the Ebola fight.
“In 2012, Dr. Samura Kamara and his counterpart in China signed an agreement for China to assist us with three sets of scanning equipment that should be installed at the Queen Elizabeth Quay, Gendema and Balamuya. Two had been delivered and has been installed in the Quay and Gendema, but due to Ebola our staff was unable to pursue their training course.”
However, she said last year five of the staff has finally been in trained in China and they can now operate the scanners in the Quay and Gendema.
Kalla Kamara averred that the latest one now is being installed at the Balamuya checkpoint, which she says will be operational soon because the Chinese team will be going for their Spring Festival holidays early next month and when they come back the will finish the process and train the local staff to operate it.
The Commissioner General said this equipment will be of tremendous advantage to them in collecting duties, to help in border security and enhancing speed and accuracy for all their customers.
She appealed to the Ambassador for them to help them get spare parts and the correct gears for the workers so that they can upkeep the machine for a long time.
Thanking the NRA boss for her kind words about China, Ambassador Wu Peng said China and Sierra Leone are brothers and the relationship will continue to grow as evidenced in the visit of President Koroma to Beijing last year.
He said he will look into the request and promised the NRA boss that there will be more support in the future.
Ambassador Wu said those equipment will help the country meets its financial obligation by collecting more taxes and will them to protect the border and give more confidence to importers and exporters in the country.
Richard Yang of Nectech, responsible for the supply of the equipment said the Container Equipment Program undertaken by them has been completed smoothly and successfully.
“The successful completion of the program will improve the Sierra Leone’s national customs for the inspection of both import and export of container efficiency, which also complies with the socioeconomic development requirements in Sierra Leone.”
“We faithfully look forward to reinforcing further cooperation with the National Revenue Authority in Sierra Leone in the future, contributing to a safer and higher social-economic land marks.”
Ambassador Wu Peng and Haja Kalla Kamara then signed the handing over documents and NRA presented gifts to the Ambassador.
Friday January 20,2017