The African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) and the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) have taken a historic step toward strengthening regional cooperation by signing a long-term Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC). This landmark agreement underscores a shared, long-term strategic commitment to advancing domestic resource mobilisation across Africa, enhancing peer learning, and eliminating duplication of effort to ultimately maximise impact and efficiency.
Mobilising domestic resources remains a priority for Africa’s development. This can be achieved through sustainable technical assistance, working to combat illicit financial flows and ensuring that Africa’s position in global discussions is grounded in country experiences and perspectives. The collaboration between the two organisations will enable the sharing of expertise in the design of policy tools, foster opportunities for coordinated technical assistance and capacity-building programmes and provide in-depth research on revenue performance in the West Africa region.
Working collaboratively with WATAF is a concrete example of ATAF’s three-pronged approach to supporting domestic resource mobilisation across the continent, with a focus on country-level support, regional synergies, and continental solutions. “We are delighted to sign this lifetime MOC with WATAF that will ensure we jointly serve our members in the West Africa region. The partnership will also provide insights into tax trends and developments in the region and allow us to tailor the precise programmes that speak to the region,” said Ms Mary Baine, the Executive Secretary of ATAF.
“This partnership marks a significant step in strengthening cooperation among tax administrations in West Africa. Through this collaboration with ATAF, WATAF reaffirms its commitment to enhancing capacity across its member administrations and promoting coherent and effective tax systems in the region. It also provides an important opportunity to ensure that the perspectives and priorities of West African countries are effectively represented in continental tax discussions,” said the Executive Secretary of WATAF.
The two organisations share a combined membership of more than 16 African revenue administrations and have been working collaboratively since 2015. This partnership has already yielded tangible outcomes, including the ongoing development of the Regional Tax Outlook, which will provide valuable insights to inform tax policy and administration across the West African region.
By aligning their efforts for the long term, ATAF and WATAF are reinforcing a shared commitment to building resilient, efficient, and modern tax systems that can drive sustainable development, strengthen fiscal sovereignty, and unlock the continent’s full economic potential.