In the immediate aftermath of the recent mudslides that saw the death of more than 300 Sierra Leones, more than 1,000 affected and approximately 2,000 left homeless, the WCO successfully facilitated workshop on Strategic Planning for the National Revenue Authority (NRA) in Freetown on the 28th August to 1st September 2017.

This was a follow-up from the September 2016 mission, delivered in the framework of the HMRC-WCO-UNCTAD TFA Capacity Building Programme with the generous financial support of the Government of the United Kingdom through Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The aim of this second workshop was to assist the NRA in finalizing the development and prepare the implementation of NRA’s Strategic Plan for 2018-2022 which includes a clear Trade Facilitation focus.

The workshop consisted of facilitated group discussions between NRA Senior Management officials. Core to the discussions, was a fact-finding initiative on the progress made on the deliverables for NRA’s Strategic Plan for 2011-2017, establishing improvements for the new Strategic Plan (2018-2022) and identifying further technical support to finalize and prepare its implementation. The NRA had achieved commendable improvements on the new plan through an Executive Retreat organized during the spring of 2017. Further improvements were made through collaborative work with the WCO experts, which included but not limited, the development of milestones for the new Strategic Plan to shape the monitoring and evaluation framework. However, more still needs to be done in the area of communication and change management for a successful implementation of the new plan across the NRA.   

As an outsider expecting to see despair and sorrow on the faces of the people we were to meet and work with for just 1 week, the Sierra Leoneans life seemed normal given the disaster that had just befell the country. From the expert perspective, we saw a commendable strength, determination and faith in the nation to do better and overcome.