11th ATAF COUNTRY CORRESPONDENTS CONFERENCE
ATAF Communication • February 25, 2022
“ATAF In the New Decade”
OUTCOME STATEMENT
17-18 February 2022
- The 11th Country Correspondents Conference was jointly hosted by the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) and the Office Togolais des Recettes (OTR). Held virtually over two days, the conference’s objectives consisted of unpacking the “ATAF in the New Decade” programme and defining the role of Country Correspondents in the programme’s implementation. The meeting was attended by 112 participants, comprising ATAF Country Correspondents, officials involved in capacity building and legal experts from ATAF member tax administrations.
- At the end of two days of intense work, the 11th ATAF Country Correspondents Conference succeeded in achieving its desired outcomes.
- We as Country Correspondents note the progress made in implementing the General Assembly’s resolutions to review the ATAF instruments through the Governing Instruments Review Project, the New Decade action plan and its implications for Members and the organisation as a whole. We have also taken note of our roles and responsibilities in this regard.
- The Secretariat has made significant progress over the past decade. We congratulate the organisation for pursuing the consultative process and we look forward to the engagement with the respective revenue authorities’ legal experts at the Legal Experts workshop to be held on the 28th of February 2022. We further eagerly await the adoption of a flexible and future-proof agreement that encompasses ATAF’s value proposition while safeguarding the principles of good governance.
- We are proud to be associated with the name “ATAF” and to echo its name in our fora. “ATAF” is a brand on its own, one that should be both maintained and promoted.
- We strongly welcome the initiative to increase ATAF’s regional presence, which we believe is critical to gaining a deeper understanding of member needs, decentralising service delivery, building closer ties with members and offering more closely tailored capacity building initiatives.
- We take note of our duty as Country Correspondents, conscious of the fact that we are central to the delivery of the organisation’s mission; that we are ATAF’s ambassadors. We reaffirm our commitment to improve the collaboration between the Secretariat and our tax administrations and will make every effort to support ATAF in achieving its vision.
- In addition, we note both the efforts undertaken by ATAF and their impact on the negotiations to redefine international tax standards. We commit to continue working with the Secretariat so that countries can better benefit from the outcome of this process.
- We thank the ATAF Secretariat, its members and partners for two days of fruitful work as well as for their dedication to the domestic resource mobilisation cause in Africa.
Lomé, 18 February 2022
View the statement in French and Portuguese.
During the meeting, both organisations reflected on their long-standing partnership and noted the milestones achieved to date.
Ms. Baine succeeds Mr. Logan Wort , who has served as ATAF’s Executive Secretary since its establishment in 2009.
Les progrès du Bénin en matière d'analyse des données et de prévision ont également été stimulés par d'autres activités d'apprentissage par les pairs de l'ATAF.
At the heart of the discussions was the impact of the toolkits, suggested approaches, policy briefs, and technical notes developed by the committees.
Ms Mary Baine welcomed Minister Mthuli Ncube's pledge to champion tax advocacy on the continent and mobilise his counterparts for support to the African perspectives in the continental and global tax reforms agenda.
The training marked Phase One of ATAF’s broader research development programme, designed to cultivate a new generation of African tax researchers. It provides not just academic instruction, but practical tools for applying research to real-world tax challenges.
The session brought together tax officials from across Africa. Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia presented their experiences, while Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, and Burkina Faso officials participated in the peer learning discussions.
ATAF in partnership with the World Bank Group and the Zambia Revenue Authority launched its first technical workshop to jointly design and develop a regional Automatic Exchange of Information IT solution.
This initiative forms part of a broader regional study aimed at supporting African tax administrations in assessing the legal and administrative feasibility of strengthening compliance among individuals with substantial assets.
The ATAF Model Tax Agreement serves as a guiding instrument to help African nations negotiate treaties that better protect their interests, ensure fair allocation of taxing rights, and enhance domestic revenue mobilisation.