FIRS Chairman, Adedeji tasks African tax administrators on local solutions

From right: Representative of Director General of Morocco Tax Authority head, Ms Laila Benchekroun; Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji; Commissioner General of South African Revenue Service and Vice Chairman of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), Edward Kieswetter; ATAF chairman and Commissioner General of Togolese Revenue Authority, Dr Philippe Tchodie; his counterpart from Botswana, Mrs Jeanette Makgolo; and ATAF Executive Secretary, Mr Logan Wort, during the organisation’s council meeting in Lagos, on Monday. Photo credit: Victor Onarinde (FIRS).

Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, has challenged tax administrators in Africa to look inwards for local solutions to challenges of the continent rather than turning to the Western world for salvation.

Adedeji, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dare Adekanmbi, spoke at a three-day council meeting of African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) hosted by FIRS and held in Lagos.

Headquartered in Pretoria, South Africa, ATAF is an international organisation established in 2009 to provide a common platform for African tax administrators to build capacity, achieve revenue objectives and advance the role of taxation in African governance and state building.

The FIRS chairman, who is the president of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA), said practicable solutions to address the challenges confronting the continent, particularly in the area of local resource mobilisation, could “only come from wearers who know where the shoe pinches.”

He, therefore, urged member countries to take ATAF matters seriously and abide by the rules set, stressing that the success of continental body depends on collective efforts to showcase the best Africa has to offer.

“The problem of Africa can only be sincerely solved by Africans. I charge you all to redouble efforts to make sure we prioritise the activities of ATAF.

A cross section Executive Council members of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), during their council meeting hosted by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in Lagos, on Monday. Photo credit: Victor Onarinde (FIRS).

“In Nigeria, we are giving you our commitment that we will prioritise anything that has to do with ATAF, recognising that solutions to our challenges reside with us in Africa. Nobody can tell our stories better than ourselves. We cannot continue to rely on solutions from platforms that are not indigenous to us.

“We must ensure the sustainability of the organisation and uphold the tenets of ATAF founding agreement and rules and be committed to abiding by them in our decision-making processes.

“The management of the secretariat is also vital to the success of the organisation, and we must prioritise the process of a smooth transition in this meeting, as the term of the current Executive Secretary comes to an end in March 2025 when Mr Logan Wort will have served for 16 years of meritorious efforts. Nigeria joins the rest of ATAF members to applaud and honour Mr Wort,” the FIRS chairman said.

Also speaking, ATAF vice chairman and Commissioner General of South African Revenue Service, Edward Kieswetter, said the body had been providing a platform for members to build not just human capacity but also synergise in the area of technology.

“The world has moved on and technology and data are increasingly defining the work we do. ATAF creates a common voice when we speak at the broader community of interests in the world like Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) or the World Bank.

ATAF Council is the arm that oversees and provides strategic leadership on behalf of all the members. The Council meets twice in a year and reports back to the General Assembly attended by all the members.

At the Lagos council meeting were ATAF chairman, Dr Philippe Tchodie (Togo); Kieswetter from South Africa; Mrs Jeanette Makgolo (Botswana); Adedeji (Nigeria); Mr Pascal Ruganintwali (Rwanda); Mr Dingani Banda (Zambia)

Others were Ms Laila Benchekroun (Morocco); Mr Georges Bigirimana (Burundi); Mr Laban Simbeye (Zambia); Mr Ebou Jallow (The Gambia); Mr Dennis Kugonza (Uganda); Mr Logan Wort, who runs the secretariat as ATAF Executive Secretary.