Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, has called for closer collaboration among West African countries to strengthen tax administration, improve compliance with ECOWAS tax directives and boost domestic revenue generation across the region.
Oyedele made the appeal after receiving a delegation from the West African Tax Administration Forum led by its Executive Secretary, Jules Tapsoba Sulio, during a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Communications and Press Secretary, Mary-Ann Duke Okon.
The meeting comes as countries across West Africa step up efforts to widen their tax bases, increase revenue collection and reduce dependence on borrowing and fluctuating commodity earnings. It also reflects renewed regional efforts to align tax policies, strengthen institutions and harness digital technology to improve tax administration.
According to the statement, Oyedele commended WATAF for its role in strengthening tax administrations across the region since its establishment in 2011. He also urged the organisation to take a more active role in ensuring member states comply with regional tax agreements.
“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.
“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,” the statement partly read.
The Minister also urged the regional body to expand its benchmarking initiatives by identifying and promoting successful tax administration models across member states.
“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,” the statement added.
Earlier, WATAF Executive Secretary, Jules Tapsoba Sulio, congratulated Oyedele on his appointment and reaffirmed the Forum’s commitment to helping Nigeria and other member countries strengthen their tax systems.
He also acknowledged Nigeria’s longstanding support for the organisation.
“Earlier, Executive Secretary of WATAF, Jules Tapsoba Sulio, congratulated the Minister on his appointment and reaffirmed the Forum’s commitment to supporting Nigeria and other member countries in strengthening tax systems through capacity building, technical assistance, research, digital transformation, and regional cooperation.
“He expressed appreciation for Nigeria’s longstanding leadership and support for WATAF, noting that the country’s financial, institutional, and technical contributions have been instrumental to the Forum’s growth and success,” the statement further stated.
The statement added that both sides explored opportunities for greater collaboration in domestic revenue mobilisation, regional tax harmonisation, digital transformation and capacity development across West Africa.
“The meeting also explored opportunities for enhanced collaboration between the Ministry and WATAF in advancing domestic revenue mobilisation, regional tax harmonisation, digital transformation, and capacity development across West Africa,” the statement concluded.
PUNCH Online reports that Nigeria has in recent years intensified efforts to reform its tax administration through digitalisation, institutional reforms and policies aimed at expanding the tax base, improving compliance and increasing non-oil revenue to strengthen ,fiscal sustainability and support economic growth.
Established in 2011, WATAF promotes cooperation among tax administrations in West Africa through knowledge sharing, technical assistance, research and institutional capacity building. The organisation works with member countries to strengthen tax systems, improve compliance and advance regional economic integration.
