Four-pillar programme, powered by a Rapid Response Function, targets a two-fold increase in domestic tax impact by 2030.
At the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) raised the curtain on Revenue Action for Development in Africa (RADA), a programme crafted to help Africa pay for its own development in the future.
Drawing on 15 years of frontline experience and results that already total USD 5.1 billion in additional tax assessments and USD 2.1 billion collected for treasuries since 2016, ATAF believes RADA can double that impact in half the time.
With unanimous backing from the organisation’s 44 member countries, the initiative is designed to chip away at the continent’s USD 194 billion annual Sustainable Development Goal financing gap by making tax systems agile, smarter and fairer.
RADA combines ATAF’s field-tested methods with enhanced digital and rapid-deployment capabilities to meet the urgent Financing for Development (FfD4) agenda.
At the heart of RADA are four mutually reinforcing pillars. First comes Digital Tax Infrastructure providing countries with capabilities to deploy modular, cost-efficient systems (e.g., the forthcoming Automatic Exchange of Information platform) that give administrations real-time data, analytics and compliance tools.
Second is an Agile Country Support platform powered by a Rapid Response Function consisting of a standing pool of experts who can be mobilised within a short time for Rapid Support Missions including but not limited to audit handholding, legislative drafting, dispute-resolution advisory and digital transformation support, ensuring ATAF “meets members where the need is, when the need arises”.
Under this will be a flagship Rapid Audit Support Programme which pairs our experts with local teams so that large-case revenue can be unlocked within a short period, while skills are retained for sustainability.
Third is Capacity & Skills Acceleration founded on enhanced access to tax guidance, briefs, information and training. ATAF’s multilingual Tax Academy will scale up accessibility and range of its e-learning catalogue to facilitate the building of a skilled and future-ready workforce that keeps reforms alive long after consultants leave.
Finally, Inclusive & Collaborative Tax Governance widens the lens. The African Women in Tax Network (AWITN) is mainstreaming gender analysis, while new health-tax toolkits and continental policy forums ensure that respective reform is shaped by public-health evidence, gender equality and Africa’s collective voice in global tax governance negotiations.
Speaking after the launch, Mary Baine, Executive Secretary of ATAF, framed RADA as ATAF’s concrete response to the FfD4 call for action. “As FfD4 challenges us to forge bold commitments that translate into real, measurable progress toward sustainable development,” she said, “ATAF reaffirms its pledge to support African countries unlock the full potential of tax revenues through responsive policies and reforms. The RADA initiative, powered by our rapid-response capabilities, is our commitment to turning commitments into impact.”
With a wave of rapid support missions scheduled, technical resources published, and digital pilots scheduled for 2026, ATAF expects RADA to become an impactful initiative of African efforts to finance infrastructure, health and climate priorities while steadily reducing debt.
As indicated at the launch event in Seville, RADA turns the Seville conversation into cash in the bank, and into enhanced access to education, hospitals, and jobs across the continent.