Abuja, Nigeria, on May 11, 2026.
Honourable Members of the ECOWAS Parliament,
Distinguished delegates,
Representatives of partner institutions,
Ladies and gentlemen
Good morning.
My name is Danicius Kaihenneh Sengbeh, Communication & IT Manager of the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF), and I have the honour of delivering this statement on behalf of the Executive Secretary of WATAF Secretariat, Mr. Jules Tapsoba. Mr. Tapsoba values this Parliament and this auspicious occasion. He would have been thrilled to address you personally. However, he is currently participating in the 60th Anniversary Celebration of the Inter American Center of Tax Administrations (CIAT), a valued international partner of WATAF – one of those many international partners with which WATAF works to strengthen West Africa’s tax ecosystem systems.
With that premise set forth,
Let me first express our sincere appreciation to ECOWAS Parliament for convening this important roundtable at a critical moment in our region’s development journey.
We also extend profound appreciation to the ECOWAS Commission for its continued contribution to regional tax reform efforts and for building a strong and sustained partnership with WATAF in advancing domestic resource mobilisation and regional integration across West Africa.
Equally, we commend the Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) for partnering with WATAF on this important roundtable and for its steadfast commitment to promoting tax transparency, accountability, and the fight against illicit financial flows across the continent.
Today’s discussion is not merely about taxation.
It is about sovereignty.
It is about fairness.
It is about accountability.
And ultimately, it is about the future we seek to build for the people of West Africa.
Across our region, governments face increasing pressure to finance infrastructure, healthcare, education, security, climate resilience, and opportunities for our growing youth population. Yet illicit financial flows, weak transparency systems, fragmented tax policies, and emerging digital economic challenges continue to undermine domestic revenue mobilisation.
This is why regional tax harmonisation matters.
And this is why the role of you, the Parliamentarians, is indispensable.
You make the laws
Laws shape compliance.
Oversight strengthens accountability.
Political leadership inspires reform.
The ECOWAS tax directives, which this gathering will dive into, provide us with a historic opportunity to build a more coherent, transparent, and equitable regional tax framework — one that is capable of supporting sustainable development and deeper regional integration.
At WATAF, we firmly believe that effective tax systems are not merely instruments for revenue collection, but instruments for nation building, economic justice, and public trust.
For millions of West Africans, taxation is not an abstract policy discussion. It is the difference between a child learning in a proper classroom or under a leaking roof. It is the difference between a functioning health facility and one without medicine. It is the difference between opportunity and exclusion, between resilient economies and persistent poverty. When tax systems work fairly and effectively, citizens feel the impact in their daily lives.
The reflections and commitments emerging from this roundtable can help strengthen domestic resource mobilisation, curb illicit financial flows, improve tax transparency, and ensure that Africa’s wealth truly works for Africans.
Distinguished participants,
The success of our region will not be determined only by the resources beneath our soil, but by the strength of the institutions we build above it.
Let this roundtable therefore serve not only as a platform for discussion, but as a catalyst for coordinated regional action.
WATAF remains committed to working alongside ECOWAS institutions, national governments, parliamentarians, tax administrations, development partners, and civil society organisations to advance fair, modern, and effective tax systems across West Africa.
I thank you and wish us all fruitful deliberations.
