Published: May 13, 2026
By David Menjor
ABUJA, Nigeria — The West African Tax Administration Forum and Tax Justice Network Africa have convened a high-level parliamentary dialogue at the ECOWAS Parliament aimed at advancing regional tax harmonization, strengthening domestic revenue mobilization and combating illicit financial flows across West Africa.
The one-day Parliamentary Tax Session was held Monday during the Sixth Legislature’s 2026 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Nigeria. The engagement brought together lawmakers, tax administrators, development partners and fiscal governance experts from across the region to examine legislative and policy solutions intended to improve tax systems and strengthen accountability mechanisms in West Africa.
The dialogue comes at a time when many African governments are grappling with mounting fiscal pressures amid rising demands for infrastructure, healthcare, education, climate resilience and youth employment, while also facing persistent revenue leakages linked to illicit financial flows and fragmented tax systems.
Speaking on behalf of WATAF Executive Secretary Jules Tapsoba, WATAF Communication and IT Manager Danicius Kaihenneh Sengbeh said the session represented more than a discussion about taxation. “This dialogue is not merely about taxation,” Sengbeh told the ECOWAS Parliamentarians. “It is about sovereignty, fairness, accountability, and the future we seek to build for the people of West Africa.”
He emphasized that governments across the region continue to face increasing pressure to finance critical public services and development programs while illicit financial flows, weak transparency frameworks and emerging challenges associated with the digital economy continue to undermine domestic resource mobilization efforts. “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,” Sengbeh added.
He also underscored the role of parliamentarians in promoting legislative oversight, supporting regional reforms and strengthening public confidence in fiscal governance systems throughout West Africa.
During the session, WATAF Research Manager Sidnoma Nita highlighted the need for ECOWAS member states to move beyond policy commitments and focus on implementation of existing regional tax directives and transparency frameworks. According to Dr. Nita, the challenge facing the region is no longer the absence of frameworks but ensuring that policies are effectively translated into practical outcomes. She said the parliamentary engagement was designed to deepen lawmakers’ awareness of regional tax harmonization issues, illicit financial flows and sustainable domestic revenue mobilization while fostering stronger cooperation among ECOWAS member states.
The discussions focused on several key issues affecting fiscal governance across the region, including operationalizing ECOWAS tax directives, transfer pricing, value-added tax harmonization, digital taxation, beneficial ownership transparency, exchange of information mechanisms, extractive sector taxation and financing for sustainable development. Technical presentations were delivered by several experts from WATAF and TJNA.
Jonas Igwe addressed operationalizing ECOWAS tax directives to strengthen domestic resource mobilization and regional harmonization. Zandile Ndebele presented on legislative frameworks and transparency measures aimed at addressing tax-related illicit financial flows, while John Thomi spoke on fiscal governance, extractive taxation and financing sustainable development within ECOWAS.
Participants also examined the Anti-Illicit Financial Flows Policy Tracker developed jointly by the African Union Commission and TJNA. The framework has already been piloted in several ECOWAS countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Liberia, to assess the effectiveness of legal, institutional and inter-agency mechanisms used to combat illicit financial flows.
Some experts at the meeting warned that Africa continues to lose billions of dollars annually through illicit financial flows, particularly in the extractive sector, significantly undermining the continent’s capacity to finance public infrastructure and essential social services. Lawmakers attending the engagement raised concerns regarding cross-border trade, taxation of multinational corporations, governance within the extractive industry, informal sector taxation and donor dependency.
Some legislators also highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in revenue administration and stressed the need to protect Africa’s taxing rights amid global economic shifts. Several parliamentarians called for improved regional cooperation, stronger information-sharing systems and enhanced legislative oversight to strengthen tax transparency and reduce financial leakages across West Africa.
The experts maintained that coordinated reforms, technology-driven tax administration systems and stronger transparency frameworks remain critical to improving accountability and domestic revenue generation throughout the region.
Closing the session, Fourth Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament Billay G. Tunkara praised WATAF for its continued efforts to strengthen tax administrations and foster regional cooperation across West Africa. Tunkara commended WATAF Executive Secretary Jules Tapsoba and TJNA for assembling what he described as a strong team of technical experts whose presentations provided lawmakers with practical policy guidance. He stressed that African nations must broaden their tax bases and prioritize internal resource mobilization instead of relying heavily on external borrowing and international assistance.
Tunkara also urged ECOWAS member states to strengthen regional integration, ratify and domesticate regional tax directives and support coordinated reforms designed to build sustainable and self-reliant economies throughout West Africa.
The parliamentary engagement forms part of WATAF’s broader mandate to strengthen tax administration systems, promote regional collaboration and support sustainable domestic revenue mobilization efforts across the subregion. Established as a regional body for tax administrations in West Africa, WATAF continues to play a leading role in shaping regional tax policy dialogue while supporting the modernization and harmonization of tax systems in line with international standards and best practices.
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