The African Tax Administration Communicators and Tax Journalists Engagement took place from 11-12 February 2025 in Ouagadougou-Burkina Faso.
Organized by the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) and hosted by the Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI) of Burkina Faso, the event brought together tax administration communicators from 15 different member countries and 26 members of the African Tax Media Network (ATMeN) representing 20 countries, to deliberate on strategies to enhance tax communication across the continent. In total, 25 countries were represented.
The engagement sought to bridge the gap between tax authorities and the media by improving the clarity and accessibility of tax-related information, ultimately fostering greater tax awareness and compliance.
The event was officially opened by Mr. Mamadou Sere, representative of the Burkina Faso Minister of Finance, Mr. Danicius Kaihenneh Sengbeh, ATMeN Chair, and Mr. Eugene Southgate, ATF’s Head of Corporate Services, representing the ATAF Executive Secretary, in the presence of Mme Eliane DJIGUEMDE, the Director General of DGI Burkina Faso and ATAF council member.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Southgate underscored the vital role of effective tax communication in promoting voluntary compliance and building public trust in tax administrations.
He highlighted ATAF’s commitment to supporting tax administrations and the African media in developing communication strategies that enhance engagement with taxpayers.
Following these remarks, Mr. Sere emphasized the importance of media as a strategic partner in tax education, calling for stronger collaboration between tax authorities and journalists to improve the accuracy and impact of tax reporting.
Finally, Mr. Sengbeh reinforced the need for sustained capacity-building initiatives to equip journalists with the necessary knowledge to report on tax matters effectively, advocating for continued dialogue between the media and tax administrations.
Following the opening session, discussions focused on key areas, including an overview of emerging tax issues on the African continent, intending to deepen journalists’ understanding of key issues, strengthen collaboration between tax administrations and the media to enhance tax reporting, increase ATAF’s visibility and support to member countries in tax communication, improving the accuracy and accessibility of tax reporting through training and resource development, and addressing challenges faced by journalists in reporting tax matters, including access to reliable data and protection from undue influence.
Participants reached a consensus on several recommendations aimed at enhancing tax communication across the continent. Key recommendations from ATMeN members to ATAF included:
- Development of specialized training programs for journalists covering tax matters, focusing on key tax concepts, financial regulations, and illicit financial flows.
- Establish a network of tax experts, economists, and policymakers as credible sources to support accurate tax reporting.
- Organize regular briefings and interactive Q&A sessions to facilitate ongoing dialogue between the media and tax authorities.
- Develop a comprehensive resource database containing tax reports, statistics, and case studies to support evidence-based reporting.
- Create simplified guides on taxation and illicit financial flows to enhance journalistic content.
- Advocate for open access to tax-related data to improve transparency and reporting accuracy.
- Implement safeguards to protect journalists from undue political or corporate influence when reporting on taxation. • Establish fellowships and grant programs to support investigative journalism in taxation.
Tax Administration communicators outlined recommendations for consideration by ATAF, to enhance internal coordination and collaboration:
- Establish a technical committee, composed of representatives from various tax administration communications units, to facilitate the exchange of best practices and address communication challenges.
- Integrate tax administration communicators into existing ATAF’s technical committees to ensure communication remains central to tax administration strategies.
- Strengthen partnerships between journalists and tax communicators to enhance tax communication effectiveness.
- Prioritise capacity-building programs for tax administration communicators, including language training and workshops on communication methodologies. • Provide training on audiovisual content production to improve messaging impact. • Increase financial support for tax administration communication units, as many lack adequate resources to implement robust communication strategies. • Assist tax administrations in developing comprehensive communication strategies, including research on tax morale and compliance.
- Introduce study grants and scholarships to support professional development in tax communication.
- Develop practical communication tools, such as toolkits tailored to both tax communicators and journalists.
- Facilitate regular meetings between communication officers from different tax administrations to promote knowledge sharing.
- Collaborate with partners such as the Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) to support ongoing engagement and capacity-building initiatives.
- Enhance ATAF’s visibility and reach by leveraging the tax administration’s existing networks to amplify its publications and initiatives.
- Collect and share event calendars from tax administrations to enable better coordination and alignment of communication efforts.
- Establish a WhatsApp group for tax communicators to enable real-time information sharing. • Produce more tax communication materials in French to reach a broader audience across Africa.
The two-day event also provided an opportunity for ATMeN to review its institutional structure and elect new leadership.
The newly appointed officials are Mr. Danicius Kaihenneh Sengbeh from Liberia as the Chairperson, Mme Joséphine Baituambo Banduhu from the Democratic Republic of Congo as the Vice-Chair in charge of Administration, Mr. Prosper Ndlovu from Zimbabwe, as the Vice-Chair in charge of Technical Affairs, Mr. Eric Niyoyitungira from Burundi as the Secretary-General, and Mme. Diomma Dramé from Senegal, as the Assistant Secretary-General.
The African Tax Administration Communicators and Tax Journalists Engagement reaffirmed the importance of collaboration between tax administrations and the media in improving tax literacy and compliance.
Participants underscored the need for structured engagements, capacity-building initiatives, and the provision of resources to enable both journalists and tax communicators to perform their roles effectively.
The recommendations put forward are expected to play a crucial role in strengthening tax communication efforts enhancing public trust in tax authorities, and thereby improving domestic revenue mobilization.
Participants strongly recommended that this workshop be held regularly, preferably annually, to ensure continuous knowledge exchange and the strengthening of partnerships between tax authorities and the media.
