The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has called for stronger regional collaboration among West African countries to improve tax administration, increase domestic revenue, and ensure better compliance with ECOWAS tax directives.
Oyedele made the call during a meeting with a delegation from the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) led by its Executive Secretary, Jules Tapsoba Sulio, at the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja.
The minister praised WATAF for its contributions since its establishment in 2011, saying the Forum has played a key role in strengthening tax administration across West Africa.
He, however, urged the organisation to do more by introducing practical tools to track how member states implement regional tax agreements.
“WATAF has made remarkable progress over the years, but there is still room to do more. The Forum should take a leading role in monitoring the implementation of regional tax agreements across member states,” Oyedele said.
He said WATAF should develop benchmarking tools and performance dashboards to measure compliance with ECOWAS tax directives, noting that such mechanisms would promote accountability and healthy competition among countries.
“Performance dashboards and benchmarking tools will promote transparency, encourage peer learning, and help raise tax administration standards across West Africa.”
The minister also urged the Forum to identify and promote successful tax reforms across the region, particularly in digital tax administration, taxation of the informal sector, and broader tax policy reforms.
“Countries should not have to reinvent the wheel. WATAF should document and showcase what works so that member states can adapt proven solutions and accelerate reforms.”
Oyedele stressed that stronger regional cooperation was critical to improving revenue generation and building resilient economies capable of funding development priorities.
“As our economies become more integrated, our tax systems must also become more coordinated. Regional cooperation is essential to improving domestic revenue mobilisation and supporting sustainable economic growth.”
Earlier, WATAF Executive Secretary Jules Tapsoba Sulio congratulated Oyedele on his appointment and reaffirmed the Forum’s commitment to supporting Nigeria and other member countries through technical assistance, capacity building, research, digital transformation, and regional cooperation.
“WATAF remains committed to supporting Nigeria and all member countries in strengthening their tax systems through capacity building, technical assistance, research, and digital innovation,” Sulio said.
Sulio also commended Nigeria for its continued leadership and support for the organisation, describing the country’s contributions as vital to WATAF’s growth and success.
“Nigeria has been a pillar of support for WATAF. Its financial, institutional, and technical contributions have been instrumental to the Forum’s progress, and we deeply appreciate that partnership.”
The meeting also explored ways to strengthen collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Finance and WATAF in advancing domestic revenue mobilisation, regional tax harmonisation, digital transformation, and capacity development across West Africa.
“Our partnership with WATAF remains critical as we work to build stronger tax institutions, modernise revenue administration, and create a more coordinated tax system across the West African region,” Oyedele added.