Nigeria to lead ATAF Technical Committee on Exchange of Information

JOHANNESBURG - The Federal Inland Revenue Services of Nigeria’s Mr Femi Edgal, Deputy Director of Tax/Head Exchange of Information - has been elected as the Chairperson of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), EOI Technical Committee. 

The 16th Meeting of the EOI Technical Committee, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 31 – 4, 2023, elected Mr Edgal as its new chair after the term of duty served by the outgoing chairperson, Mr Ayetout Akpaki from the Republic of Togo, came to an end. 

Key outcomes of the meeting included the finalisation the Practical Guide on the Automatic Exchange of Information for developing countries and a discussion on “Suggested Approach on Developing Voluntary Disclosure Programmes”. 

Mr Edgal is no stranger to ATAF and has served as a Country Correspondent and Secondee to ATAF representing Nigeria. He has extensive experience in the field of exchange of information: most notably, Mr Edgal led the transformation of the exchange of information unit in Nigeria to automatic exchange of information. Additionally, Mr Edgal has led several reform initiatives in Nigeria where he has held various senior positions.

The ATAF EOI Technical Committee was formed in 2017 after the initial working group on EOI fulfilled its mandate and converted to a technical committee. The committee is composed of nine countries: Cameroon, Eswatini, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Kenya and Uganda. Members are responsible for developing best EOI practices, providing technical guidance on information requests by revenue administrations and promoting the transparency agenda to combat illicit financial flows from Africa. 

The new chair oversees a critical portfolio as the EOI Technical committee is key in supporting ATAF initiatives in curbing IFFs through the use of EOI tools.