June 25, 2025
NRA headquarters, 5 Gloucester Street Freetown
The National Revenue Authority (NRA) on Tuesday, June 25, 2025, hosted a courtesy visit from the newly appointed Chinese Counselor for Commerce, Mr. Peng Wang, and his delegation as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance revenue administration and trade facilitation between the Republic of Sierra Leone and the People’s Republic of China.
The engagement provided a platform for both institutions to reaffirm their commitment to transparent fiscal governance, institutional capacity building, and mutual support in advancing economic development objectives.
Welcoming the delegation, Commissioner General Mrs. Jeneba J. Bangura underscored the Authority’s strategic direction in modernizing tax and customs processes through ICT reforms, including the automation of duty waiver procedures and the streamlining of Goods and Services Tax (GST) exemption protocols. She emphasized the NRA’s coordinating role in ensuring that waiver applications submitted to the Authority are processed efficiently, while reiterating the importance of safeguarding these privileges against abuse.
In outlining the new measures, the Commissioner General announced that qualified diplomatic and development institutions will now receive a standardized one-year GST exemption certificate, accompanied by clear operational guidelines. She noted that this reform is intended to promote procedural consistency and transparency in the application of tax reliefs.
In his remarks, Counselor Peng Wang commended the NRA for its ongoing reforms and reaffirmed the Chinese Embassy’s commitment to supporting institutional development through targeted technical assistance. He highlighted past collaborative efforts, including the donation of container scanners at the Ports and Gbalamuya, as well as the facilitation of international training programs for over 15 NRA personnel in the previous year.
Looking ahead, Counselor Wang expressed the Embassy’s readiness to organize local capacity-building initiatives in priority areas, including tax administration and customs compliance, and encouraged the Authority’s active participation. He also announced the imminent launch of a Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Sierra Leone, which will serve as a dedicated platform for sustained dialogue between Chinese enterprises and national authorities, including the NRA.
Mrs. Bangura welcomed the proposed partnership initiatives and called for their timely implementation, particularly in areas such as GST compliance, rental income tax enforcement, and systems strengthening. She affirmed that knowledge acquired through such programs would be institutionalized and translated into measurable improvements in service delivery and revenue outcomes.
The meeting concluded with mutual expressions of goodwill and a shared commitment to advancing Sierra Leone’s development agenda through robust bilateral engagement, policy alignment, and improved investment climate.