The engagement, held on October 5, 2026, brought together sector heads, security agencies and other stakeholders at the Jendema Border Crossing Point in Sorogbema Chiefdom.
According to the NRA, the engagement is aimed at strengthening coordination among stakeholders, supporting the transformation of customs operations, facilitating legitimate trade and improving revenue mobilisation for national development.
Speaking during the engagement, NRA Customs Manager at Jendema, Munjiru I. I. Kallon, said cooperation between security agencies, community leaders and the NRA had remained strong since the Authority began operating at the border.
He explained that the introduction of ASYCUDA World would enable the automatic processing of three major customs regimes—Import, Export and Transit.
Kallon said the stakeholder engagement was intended to create awareness about the system’s rollout and secure the cooperation of relevant agencies to ensure a smooth implementation.
He also highlighted several developments at the Jendema border, including the recruitment of six local staff as part of efforts to support the host community, the expected deployment of additional commercial banks to strengthen accountability, and the deployment of the border post’s first female staff member, Mrs Kumba S. Kallon.
He further expressed appreciation to the NRA Senior Management for providing a new vehicle and office facility at the border, while reaffirming the Authority’s commitment to modernising customs operations and improving service delivery.
During a technical presentation, Philip Dumbuya, Supervisor at the ASYCUDA Unit within the Customs Services Department, explained that the system is designed to strengthen customs revenue collection and generate trade data that can assist the Government in analysing the types of goods entering the country.
Dumbuya said ASYCUDA is currently used in more than 90 countries. He noted that Sierra Leone introduced ASYCUDA++ at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay in 2009, with the system going live in 2010, before it was upgraded to the web-based ASYCUDA World platform in 2017.
He said ASYCUDA World is designed to facilitate faster customs clearance, maintain an audit trail covering 10 to 15 years and provide enhanced security features.
Dumbuya also disclosed that the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) engaged professional cybersecurity experts to assess the security of the system.
The system connects relevant government agencies through dedicated modules and automatically routes information based on each agency’s functions. Its implementation requires software installation, role-based training and basic equipment, including printers and scanners for document processing.
According to Dumbuya, the ASYCUDA World dashboard allows users to monitor the various stages of import and export processes. The system also provides real-time information, supports revenue collection, records user activity and is designed to remain accessible from different locations, with backup energy sources supporting its server facilities.
He further explained that customs declarations under the system will be entered through a self-assessment process, which is expected to improve data accuracy compared to manual processing. The system also uses risk-based selection to identify consignments that require examination.
The NRA said the ongoing engagement forms part of efforts to prepare stakeholders at the Jendema Border Crossing Point for the transition to the automated customs platform.
