Finance Minister Tasks WATAF on Tracking Regional Tax Rules
By Patience Ikpeme
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, has called on West African countries to work closer together to improve how they collect taxes, follow regional tax rules, and boost their internal revenues.
The Minister made this call in Abuja during a visit by a team from the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF), led by its Executive Secretary, Jules Tapsoba Sulio, at the Ministry’s headquarters.
In a statement released on Tuesday by Mary-Ann Duke Okon, the Senior Special Assistant on Communications and Press Secretary to the Minister, Mr. Oyedele challenged WATAF to play a bigger role in making sure member countries follow regional agreements.
Specifically, the Minister urged the body to create simple, practical tracking tools and digital performance dashboards. These tools will show how well each country is complying with the tax directives set by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
According to Mr. Oyedele, “such tools would promote accountability, encourage peer learning, and help raise tax administration standards across West Africa.”
He praised WATAF for the great progress it has made since it was set up in 2011, pointing out that the organisation has helped build stronger and more reliable tax agencies in the region.
To take things further, the Minister advised WATAF to search for and share the best success stories in key areas of tax work. These areas include moving tax services online, finding better ways to tax the informal business sector, and carrying out general tax reforms so that countries can copy what works and speed up their own developments.
Responding, the Executive Secretary of WATAF, Jules Tapsoba Sulio, congratulated the Minister on his appointment. He stated that the forum is fully committed to helping Nigeria and other West African countries build better tax systems through training, technical support, research, digital technology, and regional teamwork.
Mr. Sulio also thanked Nigeria for always showing strong leadership and supporting WATAF over the years. He noted that Nigeria’s financial, institutional, and technical support has been the backbone of the forum’s growth and success.
The meeting ended with both sides agreeing to work more closely on digital transformations, sharing tax ideas, and making tax laws similar across West African borders to help grow the region’s economy.
