RismadarVoice Reporters
September 11, 2026
The African Union Commission and the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) are working to strengthen cooperation among African tax authorities to tackle revenue leakages, illicit financial flows and cross-border tax evasion.
The move followed a meeting between an ATAF delegation led by its Council Chair, Dr Johnston Makhubu, and AU Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals, Francisca Belobe, at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The organisations agreed to deepen collaboration on domestic revenue mobilisation, taxation of extractive industries and other sectors considered difficult to tax.
A major focus will be the implementation of the Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters, which is expected to improve information sharing, tax collection assistance and joint tax examinations among African countries.
The AU and ATAF also identified stronger tax treaty networks as a priority, with the ATAF Model Double Taxation Agreement expected to help countries better protect their taxing rights.
Belobe urged ATAF to increase engagement with the private sector, saying greater business participation in tax policy and compliance could improve voluntary compliance and broaden the continent’s tax base.
The two institutions also agreed to sustain cooperation on taxation in extractive industries and other hard-to-tax sectors, where issues such as cross-border transactions, complex contracts and limited access to information often create challenges.
The AU and ATAF are expected to renew their memorandum of understanding and develop a new work plan covering tax policy, administration, treaty matters, mutual assistance and taxation of strategic sectors.
