WATAF Mobilises Nearly 400 Participants To Drive Digital VAT Reform Across West Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria, 9 August 2026 — The West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) brought together nearly 400 participants from 16 countries on Thursday, 6 August, for a high-level regional workshop aimed at advancing the modernisation of Value Added Tax (VAT) administration and improving sustainable domestic revenue mobilisation in West Africa.

The gathering brought together officials from tax administrations, senior government officials, auditors, tax compliance officers, tax policy and legal specialists, customs officials, information and communication technology (ICT) professionals, revenue collection officers and taxpayer services experts.

Participants from 12 West African countries accounted for more than 96 per cent of the total attendance, illustrating the strong regional relevance and reach of the initiative. Participants from four non-West African countries also attended the workshop as technical experts and observers.

Held under the theme, “Strengthening VAT Management in West Africa: Leveraging Digital Innovation for Sustainable Domestic Revenue Mobilisation,” the workshop provided tax administrations and technical experts with a platform to exchange experiences, examine emerging challenges and identify practical solutions for improving VAT performance.

Opening the workshop, WATAF Executive Secretary Jules Tapsoba emphasised that effective VAT management is essential to strengthening domestic revenue mobilisation and financing sustainable development in West Africa.

He stated that tax and customs administrations must be sufficiently equipped to address the constraints posed by the region’s informal economy, the complexity of cross-border transactions, tax compliance challenges and the rapid expansion of the digital economy.

“VAT management is essential to revenue mobilisation in West Africa. WATAF recognises the need for tax and customs administrations to remain abreast of evolving realities and to have the necessary resources to address the challenges affecting VAT performance,” Mr Tapsoba said.

He reaffirmed WATAF’s commitment to supporting member countries through capacity building, technical cooperation and regional knowledge-sharing, describing the workshop as part of the Forum’s broader efforts to develop relevant responses to common tax administration challenges.

Welcoming participants, WATAF Training and Capacity Development Manager Usman Ibrahim stressed that the modernisation of VAT administration must go beyond the sole objective of increasing tax revenue.

“The future of VAT is not only about collecting more taxes; it is about building systems that can see more, understand better and respond more intelligently to economic activity,” Mr Ibrahim said.

According to him, digital innovation offers tax administrations an opportunity to transform the entire VAT cycle, from taxpayer registration, invoicing, filing and payment to audits, refunds, risk management and revenue assurance.

Discussions focused on VAT administration within the context of West Africa’s informal economy, compliance risks and practical reform options. Participants also examined issues relating to electronic filing, electronic payments, electronic invoicing, real-time reporting, digital payment trails, data analytics, taxpayer education, invoice verification and business formalisation.

Representing the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), Emeka Nwanko highlighted the central role of VAT in West Africa’s revenue systems. He stated that VAT accounts for approximately 30 per cent of the region’s total tax revenue but continues to perform below its full potential because of the size of the informal economy, low taxpayer registration, compliance weaknesses and the rapid evolution of the digital economy.

Mr Nwanko observed that the informal sector accounts for approximately 40 per cent of the regional gross domestic product (GDP) and 83 per cent of Africa’s workforce. Many informal businesses remain outside official tax systems, rely heavily on cash transactions and maintain few or no financial records.

He stressed that improving VAT performance requires more than enforcement measures. It calls for broader taxpayer registration across the value chain, increased use of technology, better approaches to taxing the digital economy and more effective public communication on tax obligations.

Participants also shared their countries’ experiences in VAT automation, compliance management and institutional reforms, including lessons learned and good practices that could be adapted to different national contexts.

Benin recorded the highest participation, with 193 participants, followed by Nigeria with 104, Liberia with 28 and Burkina Faso with 23. The other countries represented were Cabo Verde, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, Portugal, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Togo.

The professional composition of the participants reflected the technical importance of the gathering. More than four-fifths of the participants worked directly in tax and revenue administration, leadership and management, audit and compliance, tax policy and reform, taxpayer services, or customs and excise.

The programme benefited from technical contributions from Mr Oluwole Oni of the Nigeria Revenue Service, WATAF Executive Secretary Jules Tapsoba, ATAF representative Mr Emeka Nwanko, as well as digital solutions experts from AFRITAX/BYC and Yaaba.

The strong participation demonstrated the growing demand for practical regional platforms connecting tax policy, digital transformation, institutional reforms and their effective implementation.

The workshop forms part of WATAF’s continuing efforts to strengthen the institutional and technical capacities of West African tax administrations, facilitate cooperation among member countries and support sustainable domestic revenue mobilisation for national and regional development.