Finance minister urges stronger tax cooperation in West Africa

Nigeria's Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele has called for enhanced regional collaboration to deepen tax administration reforms and boost domestic revenue mobilization across West Africa. Speaking in Abuja following a visit from the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF), Oyedele stressed the importance of improving compliance with ECOWAS tax directives.

“

The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has called for stronger regional collaboration to deepen tax administration reforms, improve compliance with ECOWAS tax directives, and strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation across West Africa.

The minister highlighted the ongoing efforts by West African governments to broaden their tax bases and reduce reliance on borrowing and volatile commodity earnings. He also noted the growing regional initiatives to harmonize tax policies, build institutional capacity, and leverage digital technology for better tax administration. Oyedele commended WATAF for its contributions since its 2011 establishment.

“

He challenged WATAF to take a more active role in monitoring the implementation of regional tax agreements by developing practical benchmarking tools and performance dashboards that assess member states’ compliance with ECOWAS tax directives. Such tools, he noted, would promote accountability, encourage peer learning, and help raise tax administration standards across West Africa.

Oyedele challenged WATAF to adopt a more proactive role in monitoring the implementation of regional tax agreements. He proposed the development of practical benchmarking tools and performance dashboards to assess member states' compliance with ECOWAS tax directives, fostering accountability and peer learning. The minister also encouraged the forum to expand its initiatives by identifying and showcasing best practices in areas such as digitalization and taxing the informal sector, enabling member countries to learn from each other and accelerate reforms.

“

The Minister also encouraged the Forum to expand its benchmarking initiatives by identifying and showcasing best practices in key areas of tax administration, including digitalisation, taxation of the informal sector, and broader tax policy reforms, to enable member countries to learn from one another and accelerate reforms