The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has commenced its 2026 Top Management Retreat at The Groove, Esipong Beach Resort, bringing together the authority’s leadership to realign strategy and strengthen institutional performance in line with national development priorities.

Held under the theme “Transforming for Impact and Growth: Focusing on People, Performance, and Compliance,” the retreat is aimed at repositioning the authority to meet rising expectations from the government, businesses and citizens, while enhancing efficiency, integrity and public confidence in revenue administration.

Welcoming participants, the Commissioner-General of GRA, Anthony Kwaku Sarpong, described the retreat as a defining moment for the authority, stressing the urgency of transformation to meet national revenue targets.

“In 2026, the GRA has been tasked with mobilising GH¢230 billion in domestic revenue. This is an ambitious target, but it is also a necessary one for financing national development and strengthening fiscal sustainability,” the commissioner-general said.

He noted that achieving this target would require a fundamental shift from business as usual.

Touching on the retreat’s three core pillars, the commissioner-general emphasised the central role of staff and leadership.

“Transformation begins with how we lead, how we model values, manage performance, develop talent, and engage our people,” he said, adding that management must champion staff welfare and a culture of accountability and professionalism.

On performance, he pointed to the scale of existing tax gaps and the need for disciplined execution.

“The GH¢230 billion target demands disciplined execution, smarter use of data, stronger collaboration across divisions, and a relentless focus on results,” he noted.

He also stressed the importance of compliance and technology-driven reforms to deepen voluntary compliance.

“The successful mobilisation of revenue depends on deepening voluntary compliance. We must accelerate initiatives such as ITAS, Publican, Sentinel, and regulatory reforms to close the tax gap and enhance revenue mobilisation,” he added.

Also speaking at the meeting, the GRA Board Chairman, Kweku George Ricketts-Hagan, reaffirmed the board’s strategic expectations and support for management, linking the retreat to the government’s Reset Agenda.

“This theme accurately reflects the board’s strategic outlook and is firmly aligned with government’s broader Reset Agenda, which calls for renewed institutional effectiveness, strengthened public sector delivery, and restored public confidence,” he said.

He stressed that people and integrity remain the foundation of sustainable performance.

“Systems, processes and technology are enablers, but it is the integrity, professionalism and motivation of staff that ultimately determine outcomes,” the Board Chairman Ricketts-Hagan stated.

The board chairman also underscored the need for clear accountability and results-driven leadership, adding that performance must be intentional, data-driven, and anchored in accountability.

“This retreat is not about producing polished statements. It is about strengthening leadership alignment and leaving here with clarity on priorities, trade-offs, and the behaviours required to lead a transforming GRA,” Commissioner-General Anthony Kwaku Sarpong said.

The Guest of Honour, Nana Kobina Nketsiah V, Omanhene of Essikado, also charged GRA staff to uphold professionalism and project a positive image of the authority in their daily interactions with taxpayers and the public.

The 2026 GRA Top Management Retreat, which ends on February 8, 2026 is expected to generate actionable commitments to strengthen leadership, improve compliance, close revenue gaps and reposition the Authority for greater national impact.