By: Sulaiman Aruna Sesay

The National Revenue Authority, on Wednesday 28th February 2024, issued out a press release to inform OMCs and the general public,  that the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) will introduce its flagship fuel marketing programme (Fuel Integrity Solution -FIS) for all licensed petroleum products across the country on the 1st March 2024.

The GoSL, in support with the Ministry of Finance, the National Revenue Authority (NRA), and the Petroleum Regulatory Agency (PRA), consider this milestone development as a strategic objective, to intensity its efforts to enhance domestic revenue mobilisation. The release also revealed that, the fuel marketing program is a robust molecular marketing solution for hydrocarbons that provides traceability and fraud detection functionalities throughout the domestic supply chain for petroleum products. The report further explained that, the FIS will serve as an effective tool against illicit activities (smuggling, under declaration, diversion dumping, adulteration and dilution) within the fuel market. “It is meant to ensure the petroleum products supply chain’s full integrity across Sierra Leone,” they narrated.

The announcement made was in line with the previous NRA public notice explaining the launch (or Go-Live) on February 1st 2024, of the Government’s Product Tracing System (PTS), a secure marketing and traceability system for excisable products such as tobacco, wine, spirits and other alcoholic beverages. It was also noted that, the implementation of these public revenue integrity platforms (PTS and FIS) as an essential component of the Government’s Medium-Term Revenue Strategy (MTRS) for 2023-2027.

The report made it clear that, similar FIS programs implemented in several countries have been recognized as effective tax administration and revenue assurance measures that continue to be widely recommended by multilateral development agencies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), for the improvement of domestic revenue to fight against illicit trade, combat cross-border smuggling, and reduce tax evasion.