A strong UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation must go beyond reaching an agreement. It must deliver fairer international tax rules, meaningful participation for African countries and greater opportunities to mobilise revenue for development. These priorities were central to our engagements at the 2026 IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, where our Head of Member and Multilateral Engagements, Mr Thulani Shongwe, contributed to two discussions on the ongoing UN Tax Convention negotiations. Speaking at the African Union side event on 13 October, Mr Shongwe highlighted the importance of ensuring that the emerging Convention reflects Africa's priorities and results in a strong agreement that countries can sign, ratify and effectively implement. He also outlined how we are working alongside the African Union Commission (AUC), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) to provide technical briefings to African countries, helping negotiators assess proposals, navigate complex issues and maintain a coordinated approach throughout the negotiations. At the ICRICT-convened side event on 14 October, discussions turned to the relationship between international tax cooperation, economic growth and inequality. Mr Shongwe emphasised three priorities for African countries: inclusive governance arrangements, fairer international tax rules and stronger revenue mobilisation to finance development. For Africa, the negotiations are not simply about establishing a new international tax framework. They are about ensuring that the framework responds to the continent's needs and strengthens countries' ability to finance public services and their development priorities. Through our continued technical engagement and collaboration with partners, we remain committed to supporting African countries in shaping an international tax system that delivers meaningful outcomes for the continent.

The 2026 ATAF Continental Exchange of Information (EOI) Conference and Workshop has concluded in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe! Hosted by ZIMRA, the three-day gathering brought together more than 139 delegates from 28 countries to explore how EOI can strengthen tax compliance, combat illicit financial flows and mobilise domestic revenue. Discussions focused on using EOI in tax audits and investigations, beneficial ownership transparency, joint audits and implementing Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI), including through the ATAF IT solution developed in partnership with ZRA, with support from the World Bank Group. Closing the conference, our Head of International and Cross-Border Taxation, Mr Anthony Munanda, representing Executive Secretary Ms Mary Baine, emphasised that the success of EOI depends not simply on accessing information, but on using it to strengthen compliance, generate revenue and protect Africa's tax base. We thank ZIMRA for hosting, all participating countries, and our partners, particularly the Global Forum, Open Ownership and Tax Justice Network Africa, for their valuable contributions. We also appreciate our development partners for their continued support. The conference has ended, but the work of strengthening tax cooperation across Africa continues. #ATAF #ExchangeOfInformation #TaxTransparency

Since joining the Global Forum in April 2023, Zimbabwe has taken important steps to strengthen tax transparency and Exchange of Information (#EOI). The country has endorsed the Yaoundé Declaration, worked with ATAF and the Global Forum on capacity building, and is now taking steps towards signing and ratifying ATAF's Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters (#AMATM). Ms Inzwirashe Chenai Muwonwa of ZIMRA shares Zimbabwe's EOI journey and the role of international partnerships in advancing tax transparency. #ATAF #ExchangeOfInformation #Zimbabwe

Complex corporate structures can conceal the individuals who ultimately control businesses, benefit from their income or hold their assets, making tax audits and investigations more difficult. Beneficial ownership transparency helps tax administrations look beyond registered company names to identify those individuals. At the ATAF Continental EOI Conference in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Ms Reem Abuzeid (ATAF EOI Exoert) highlighted the importance of: • Verifying ownership declarations against tax, banking and land records. • Sharing information between company registries, tax administrations and financial intelligence units. • Using beneficial ownership data to strengthen transfer pricing audits, HNWI investigations, VAT fraud detection and EOI. • Prioritising high-risk sectors and complex ownership structures. The objective is to turn reliable beneficial ownership information into actionable intelligence that strengthens tax compliance and protects domestic revenue. #ATAF #BeneficialOwnership #TaxTransparency

An African-led IT solution is taking shape to make Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) more affordable, flexible and sustainable for African tax administrations. At the ATAF Continental EOI Conference in Zimbabwe, Mr Harrison Chapu and Mr Willa Sampa of ZRA demonstrated the solution, developed in collaboration with ATAF, ZRA and the World Bank Group. It offers automated data validation, real-time compliance monitoring and greater control over system customisation, reducing reliance on costly commercial platforms. Drawing on inputs from 🇲🇺 Mauritius, 🇬🇭 Ghana, 🇳🇬 Nigeria, 🇿🇦 South Africa, 🇺🇬 Uganda and 🇷🇼 Rwanda, the solution is designed to address the practical needs and operational challenges of African tax administrations. #ATAF #AEOI #TaxTechnology #DigitalTransformation

𝐕𝐀𝐓: 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 — 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝? Insights from the 2025 African Tax Outlook (ATO) reveal that VAT accounts for 30.5% of tax revenue, yet its C-efficiency stands at just 33.7%. This highlights significant potential to strengthen VAT performance and revenue mobilisation. The ATO provides tax administrations and policymakers with comparative, evidence-based insights to support informed policymaking, benchmarking and peer learning. Hosted by the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), the 2025 ATO Launch and Validation Workshop is taking place in Salima, bringing together 46 tax administration researchers and ATO focal points from 30 countries to explore key findings and begin validating data for the 2026 edition. Explore the findings by downloading the 2025 African Tax Outlook here: bit.ly/3VzALKB #AfricanTaxOutlook #ATO2025 #VAT #DomesticRevenueMobilisation #TaxAdministration #ATAF

At the ATAF Continental EOI Conference and Workshop in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, we explored how information obtained from abroad can strengthen transfer pricing and international tax audits. Our Head of International and Cross-Border Tax, Mr Anthony Munanda, used an agricultural transfer pricing case to demonstrate how EOI helps establish functions, risks, assets and value creation across jurisdictions. 🇰🇪 Kenya presented a coffee trading case where an offshore entity retained KES 712 million in gross trading margins, compared with KES 250 million reported by the Kenyan entity. EOI helped verify limited offshore value creation and supported a substantial audit adjustment. 🇹🇬 Togo shared how information obtained from another country helped uncover USD 490.527 million in undeclared turnover in the hydrocarbon storage sector. 🇨🇲 Cameroon highlighted the importance of initiating EOI requests early, exhausting domestic information sources and meeting the standard of foreseeable relevance. These experiences demonstrate how African tax administrations can use EOI to strengthen assessments, challenge tax positions and protect domestic revenue. #ATAF #ExchangeOfInformation #TaxTransparency

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐭. From 12 to 16 October 2026, ATAF is providing technical assistance to the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) to strengthen tax debt management, with the mission led by Mr Paul Khanare, ATAF Income Tax Specialist and Ms Miriam Wairimu, Head of Reforms and Automation, Kenya Revenue Authority. Through this technical assistance, ATAF is supporting NamRA in assessing its existing debt management framework and identifying practical opportunities to strengthen collection, payment arrangements, enforcement, data use and case management. The aim is to help build a more targeted and sustainable approach to managing tax debt, supporting domestic revenue mobilisation while promoting effective taxpayer compliance. #ATAF #NamRA #TaxAdministration #DomesticRevenueMobilisation #TaxDebtManagement

The African Tax Outlook (ATO) 2025 brings together comparable tax data from 39 African countries, offering insights to support better tax policies and stronger tax administrations. 📊 15 years of data: 2010–2024 🧩 6 thematic areas: A comprehensive view of tax systems 🤝 81% of Africa’s tax administrations: Represented through ATAF membership More than just data, the ATO is a tool for evidence-based policymaking, benchmarking and peer learning—helping policymakers and tax administrations identify trends, compare performance and learn from one another. Download the African Tax Outlook 2025 here: bit.ly/3VzALKB #AfricanTaxOutlook #ATO2025 #DomesticResourceMobilisation #ATAF

From Africa's growing economic integration to the practical challenges of implementing Exchange of Information (EOI), today's conversations at the ATAF Continental EOI Conference and Workshop in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, brought valuable country experiences and perspectives to the table. As intra-African trade expands, tax administrations must be equipped to respond. EOI is more than a tax administration initiative. It is a national development priority that can help countries protect their tax bases, combat illicit financial flows, promote fair taxation and strengthen fiscal sovereignty. But political commitment alone is not enough. Experiences from Cameroon and Nigeria highlighted the importance of leadership and institutional support, while Zimbabwe and Lesotho demonstrated how even a few targeted EOI requests can identify opportunities for significant tax adjustments. The challenge now is to translate these opportunities into results by integrating EOI into everyday tax administration, strengthening data and digital capabilities, expanding Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) and deepening continental cooperation through African instruments such as ATAF's Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters (AMATM). The priority is not simply to exchange more information, but to use it effectively to collect revenue, strengthen compliance and deliver tangible results for African countries. #ATAF #ExchangeOfInformation #TaxTransparency #DomesticResourceMobilisation

As intra-African trade grows under the AfCFTA, tax administrations must be ready to seize new economic opportunities. At the ATAF EOI Conference in Zimbabwe, Deputy Minister Hon. David K. Mnangagwa stressed the need for stronger, better-resourced tax administrations and challenged participants to move beyond political commitments to practical implementation. His message: Africa must strengthen its institutions to benefit fully from growing trade and economic integration.

Zimbabwe's Deputy Minister of Finance, Hon. David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa, officially opened the ATAF EOI Conference in Victoria Falls, calling for stronger tax cooperation across Africa. He noted that Zimbabwe has five ongoing transfer pricing cases involving international information requests, with potential tax assessments of US$38 million. He also welcomed ATAF’s Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters as an African-led instrument for strengthening tax cooperation among African countries. #ATAF #TaxCooperation

Africa identified approximately €417 million through Exchange of Information (EOI) in 2025. Yet five countries accounted for 75% of outgoing EOI requests, while only eight exchanged financial account information automatically. Opening the EOI Conference in Victoria Falls on behalf of ATAF Executive Secretary Ms Mary Baine, our Head of International and Cross-Border Taxation, Mr Anthony Munanda, called for stronger EOI capacity across Africa. He highlighted ATAF's practical solutions, including the Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters (AMATM), to expand intra-African cooperation, and the AEOI IT solution, developed with the Zambia Revenue Authority and support from the World Bank Group, to make automatic information exchange more accessible to members. #ATAF #TaxCooperation #ExchangeOfInformation

Since joining the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes in April 2023, Zimbabwe has been strengthening its legal and institutional frameworks for tax cooperation, including depositing its instrument of ratification of the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters in August 2026. @Zimra_11 is also strengthening its #EOI function, building staff capacity and preparing for international peer review and future participation in Automatic Exchange of Information. These developments were shared by #ZIMRA Acting CG Mr Misheck Govha as he welcomed delegates to our EOI Conference in Victoria Falls. #ATAF #TaxCooperation

Today, we kick off our three-day Continental Exchange of Information Conference and Workshop in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, hosted by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA). We are bringing African tax administrations together to share experiences, strengthen cooperation and explore practical tools to improve tax compliance and domestic revenue mobilisation. #ATAF #TaxCooperation

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐓𝐎 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩: 𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐅 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐀𝐓𝐎 The next African Tax Outlook (ATO) is already taking shape — with member countries at the centre of the process. Following the launch of the 2025 ATO, ATAF has moved into the 2026 ATO Validation Workshop in Salima, Malawi, bringing together ATO focal points and research experts from participating tax administrations. The focus is practical: reviewing preliminary findings, interrogating the data and ensuring that the analysis accurately reflects what is happening across African tax systems. Participants are examining preliminary results on tax performance, administrative efficiency, costs and human resources, tax audits, arrears management, and digital readiness. The workshop is also looking ahead. Member countries are reviewing the ATO methodology and considering how to strengthen its future framework, indicators, data requirements, and analytical dimensions. Hosted by the Malawi Revenue Authority, the launch brought together 46 participants from 30 African countries. #ATAF #AfricanTaxOutlook #ATO2026 #TaxData #TaxAdministration #EvidenceBasedPolicy

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐀𝐓𝐎 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐢! ATAF has officially launched the 2025 African Tax Outlook (ATO) in Salima, Malawi, reinforcing its commitment to equipping African tax administrations with reliable data, comparative insights and research to strengthen tax policy, improve revenue performance and advance domestic resource mobilisation. The launch moved beyond presenting the publication to demonstrate how its findings and indicators can support evidence-based decision-making across the continent. Mr Frankie Mbuyamba, ATAF Manager: Regionalisation and TRIP, guided participants through the ATO's key indicators, explaining how they are calculated, the data required and the importance of ensuring consistency and comparability across participating countries. Hosted by the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), the launch brought together 46 participants from 30 African countries, including Directors of Research and Statistics and ATO focal points. It also marks the beginning of a week of technical collaboration to validate data and help shape the 2026 edition. #ATAF #AfricanTaxOutlook #ATO2025 #DomesticResourceMobilisation #TaxAdministration #Africa

The future of tax administration in Africa will not be defined simply by the technologies we adopt but by how effectively we use data, develop our own digital capabilities and make compliance easier for taxpayers. By 2030, we could see a significant shift in how tax administrations operate. Taxpayers may no longer need to file traditional returns, with prefilled assessments becoming the norm. Artificial intelligence could enable more accurate risk assessments, while integrated digital systems could make tax compliance increasingly automated and seamless. But this transformation will not happen through technology alone. We believe African tax administrations must prioritise investments in quality data, digital and analytical skills, strong governance frameworks and shared technological solutions that reduce costs and strengthen digital sovereignty. These were among the perspectives shared by our Head of the Project Management Office, Ms Sameera Khan, at the 46th CATA Annual Heads Meeting and Technical Conference, held last week in Arusha, Tanzania. Drawing on our work through the Technology and Innovation Hub, she shared how collaboration among African tax administrations can accelerate this transformation, including our joint initiatives with the Rwanda Revenue Authority on e-invoicing and the Zambia Revenue Authority on digital solutions for tax administration and exchange of information.