Oyedele Seeks Stronger Regional Cooperation To Boost Tax Revenue

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has called for closer collaboration among West African nations to strengthen tax administration, boost compliance with regional tax policies, and increase domestic revenue generation across the ECOWAS region.

Oyedele made the call while receiving a delegation from the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF), led by its Executive Secretary, Mr Jules Tapsoba Sulio, during a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja.

He commended WATAF for the progress it has made since its establishment in 2011, noting that the organisation has played a key role in improving tax administration across West Africa.

The minister urged the forum to take on a more strategic role in ensuring that ECOWAS member states fully implement agreed tax policies and directives.

He suggested the development of benchmarking tools and performance dashboards to help governments monitor and compare compliance across the region.

According to Oyedele, such monitoring mechanisms would enhance accountability, encourage peer learning, and drive higher standards in tax administration among member countries.

He also encouraged WATAF to expand its efforts by documenting and promoting successful tax administration practices across the region. He identified digital transformation, taxation of the informal sector, and tax policy reforms as priority areas requiring greater collaboration.

Oyedele said sharing effective strategies and experiences among member states would accelerate reforms, strengthen institutions, and improve the efficiency of tax administration throughout West Africa.

Earlier, WATAF Executive Secretary Jules Tapsoba Sulio congratulated Oyedele on his appointment and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Nigeria and other member countries in building stronger and more efficient tax systems.

Sulio said WATAF would continue providing technical assistance, capacity building programmes, research support, digital transformation initiatives, and platforms that encourage regional cooperation in tax administration.

He also praised Nigeria for its longstanding financial, technical, and institutional support to the forum, describing the country as one of WATAF’s key partners and acknowledging its leadership role in advancing the organisation’s objectives.

The meeting also focused on issues such as domestic revenue mobilisation, regional tax harmonisation, digital innovation in tax administration, and capacity development.