ABUJA, NIGERIA – The West African Tax Administration Forum, in partnership with the Tax Justice Network Africa, has convened a high-level Parliamentary Tax Session at the ECOWAS Parliament aimed at strengthening domestic revenue mobilization, advancing regional tax harmonization, and combating illicit financial flows across West Africa.
The one-day regional dialogue was held Monday, May 11, during the Sixth Legislature’s 2026 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.
The engagement brought together ECOWAS lawmakers, tax administrators, WATAF and TJNA experts, development partners, and regional stakeholders to explore practical policy and legislative solutions aimed at strengthening fiscal governance across the region.
Focus on Revenue Mobilization and Tax Reforms
Speaking at the opening session on behalf of WATAF Executive Secretary Jules Tapsoba, WATAF Communication and IT Manager Danicius Kaihenneh Sengbeh emphasized that the dialogue extended beyond taxation and touched directly on governance, accountability, and regional development.
“This dialogue is not merely about taxation, but about sovereignty, fairness, accountability, and the future we seek to build for the people of West Africa,” Sengbeh stated.
He noted that governments across West Africa continue to face mounting pressure to finance infrastructure, healthcare, education, climate resilience, security, and employment opportunities for the region’s rapidly growing youth population.
According to Sengbeh, illicit financial flows, fragmented tax systems, weak transparency mechanisms, and emerging digital economy challenges continue to undermine domestic revenue mobilization efforts across the sub-region.
“At WATAF, we firmly believe that effective tax systems are not merely instruments for revenue collection, but instruments for nation building, economic justice, and public trust,” he added.
He further highlighted the critical role of parliamentarians in strengthening legislative oversight, advancing regional tax reforms, promoting transparency, and building public confidence in fiscal governance systems.
From Policy Commitments to Implementation
Providing an overview of the session, Sidnoma Nita, WATAF Research Manager, stressed the importance of moving beyond policy declarations toward effective implementation of ECOWAS tax directives and transparency frameworks.
“The challenge facing the region is no longer the absence of frameworks, but the transition from commitments to implementation,” Dr. Nita observed.
She explained that the Parliamentary Tax Session was designed to strengthen lawmakers’ awareness and engagement on issues including regional tax harmonization, illicit financial flows, and sustainable domestic revenue mobilization while encouraging stronger regional cooperation and mutual learning among Member States.
The session focused on major issues including operationalizing ECOWAS tax directives, transfer pricing, Value Added Tax harmonization, digital taxation, beneficial ownership transparency, exchange of information, extractive sector taxation, fiscal governance, and financing sustainable development.
Experts Warn of Billions Lost Through Illicit Financial Flows
Technical presentations were delivered by WATAF and TJNA experts, including Jonas Igwe on operationalizing ECOWAS tax directives for domestic resource mobilization and regional tax harmonization; Zandile Ndebele on addressing tax-related illicit financial flows through legislative frameworks and transparency measures; and John Thomi on fiscal governance, extractive taxation, and financing sustainable development in ECOWAS.
Discussions during the forum also highlighted the Anti-Illicit Financial Flows Policy Tracker developed by the African Union Commission and TJNA, which has already been piloted in several ECOWAS Member States, including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Liberia.
Experts noted that Africa continues to lose billions of United States dollars annually through illicit financial flows, particularly within the extractive sector, thereby weakening the continent’s capacity to finance infrastructure, healthcare, education, and broader development priorities.
Lawmakers Call for Stronger Cooperation
During the engagement, lawmakers raised concerns regarding cross-border trade, taxation of multinational corporations, informal sector taxation, extractive industry governance, artificial intelligence in revenue administration, donor dependency, and the protection of Africa’s taxing rights.
Several parliamentarians emphasized the need for stronger regional cooperation, enhanced information sharing, improved tax transparency systems, and more effective legislative oversight mechanisms to combat illicit financial flows across West Africa.
Experts at the session maintained that stronger regional coordination, technology-driven tax administration systems, enhanced transparency frameworks, and coordinated legislative reforms remain critical to improving domestic revenue mobilization and strengthening accountability across the region.
ECOWAS Parliament Praises WATAF’s Leadership
Speaking at the close of the session, Fourth Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Billay G. Tunkara commended WATAF for its continued leadership in strengthening tax administration systems and promoting regional tax cooperation across West Africa.
He praised WATAF Executive Secretary Jules Tapsoba and TJNA for assembling a strong team of technical experts whose presentations enriched discussions and provided lawmakers with valuable policy insights.
Tunkara stressed that African countries must increasingly broaden their tax bases and mobilize internal resources rather than relying heavily on external borrowing and donor support.
He further called on ECOWAS Member States to strengthen regional integration, ratify and domesticate regional tax directives, and support coordinated reforms aimed at building sustainable and self-reliant economies across West Africa.
The Parliamentary Tax Session forms part of WATAF’s broader mandate to strengthen tax administration systems, promote regional cooperation, and support sustainable domestic revenue mobilization across West Africa.
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