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 enhance domestic revenue mobilisation across West Africa.
Oyedele made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF), led by its Executive Secretary, Jules Tapsoba Sulio, during a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Commending WATAF for its achievements since its establishment in 2011, the Minister acknowledged the Forum’s role in strengthening tax administrations across the West African region.
He urged the organisation to play a more proactive role in monitoring the implementation of regional tax agreements by developing practical benchmarking tools and performance dashboards to assess member states’ compliance with ECOWAS tax directives.
According to him, such mechanisms would promote accountability, encourage peer learning, and improve tax administration standards across the region.
Oyedele also encouraged WATAF to expand its benchmarking initiatives by identifying and promoting best practices in critical areas such as digitalisation of tax systems, taxation of the informal sector, and broader tax policy reforms. He said sharing successful models would enable member countries to accelerate reforms and strengthen their tax systems.
Earlier, WATAF Executive Secretary, Jules Tapsoba Sulio, congratulated the Minister on his appointment and reaffirmed the Forum’s commitment to supporting Nigeria and other member countries through capacity building, technical assistance, research, digital transformation, and regional cooperation.
Sulio also commended Nigeria for its sustained leadership and support to WATAF, noting that the country’s financial, institutional, and technical contributions have played a significant role in the Forum’s growth and success.
Both parties also explored opportunities to deepen collaboration in advancing domestic revenue mobilisation, regional tax harmonisation, digital transformation, and capacity development to strengthen tax administration across West Africa.
