Quick Information guide on cross border trade in The Gambia

Application for certificate of origin;

  • Application form should be collected from Ministry of Trade, Industry and Employment.
  • Once completed, application forms and supporting documentation ie: full description of enterprise and goods, raw materials used in the manufacturing process and other costs in addition to all company certificates and registrations, are sent back for approval by the National Committee responsible for ETLS
  • The list of approved and disapproved enterprises are submitted to the ECOWAS commission for validation and notification to all member states.
  • Once approved, notification from Ministry is received to proceed with ‘certificate of origin’ approval.
  • A certificate of origin is valid for six months for one product only.
  • The product can be exported to 15 ECOWAS member states duty-free.

 

Contact Information;

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The Gambia Customs Department Banjul port) 78/79 Liberation Avenue

Banjul, The Gambia, West Africa

Tel no: +220 4223131 / 4227715

(Gambia Revenue Authority)

Email: gra@qanet.gm

http://www.gra.gm

 

Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment

Independence Drive, Banjul

Tel: +220 4227395

Information on cross border trade in The Gambia

Image result for cross border trade in the gambia The Trans-Gambia Bridge (Senegambia Bridge)

 

The Ecowas Trade Liberalization Scheme ETLS was signed in 1979 to initially facilitate trade in agricultural and artisan crafted goods within the West African subregion. In 1990, it was expanded to include industrial goods. Only industrial goods which comply with the rules of origin as ECOWAS ‘originating products’ are eligible to benefit from the scheme.

There are 3 rules that govern the acquisition of a certificate of origin.

1. Wholly produced goods- those that have 60% of the total quantity of raw materials used originating from the ECOWAS sub-region

2. Change in Tariff/Heading- product is classified according to list developed by the world customs organization.

3. Value added criteria- input materials need to have a value addition of 30% of the ex-factory price of the finished goods to be considered as originating from the region and hence can be traded duty-free within the region. One must note that this exemption does not include value addd tax (VAT).

 

Market opportunities and sectors

Opportunities include export and import access to various regional markets. Sectors include; Agricultural and Livestock Products, Fisheries products from the sea, river and lakes, Mining Products, Artisanal Handicrafts and, Industrial Goods.

 

Incentives

Under the ETLS scheme, goods can be circulated freely in the West African Region without the payment of customs duties and taxes.There are also measures that reduce paperwork and red tape at the borders easing trade access.

 

Quality and Standards requirements

 

The Gambia Standards Bureau Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Enquiry point deals with trade information requests from traders with regards to country specific regulations, charges, formalities and procedures.

The Food and Safety Quality Authority of The Gambia requires registration of all food exporters as per their guidelines published on the website in accordance to the Food and Safety Quality Act 201