ABUJA, NIGERIA – Fifteen years after the establishment of the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF), the Forum’s Secretariat has reconnected with its founding Chairperson and initiator, Mrs. Ifueko M. Omoigui Okauru, as WATAF prepares to mark a major institutional milestone and advance a new phase of regional tax administration cooperation in West Africa.
A delegation of the WATAF Secretariat, led by Executive Secretary Mr. Jules Tapsoba, on Monday, July 14, paid a courtesy working visit to Mrs. Omoigui Okauru in Abuja, Nigeria, to brief her on the Forum’s progress, seek her strategic advice and officially invite her to participate as a panelist at the 8th WATAF High-Level Policy Dialogue, which will coincide with WATAF’s 23rd General Assembly and 15th Anniversary celebrations in Accra, Ghana, in September.
Mrs. Omoigui Okauru, who initiated WATAF and served as its founding Chairperson, is currently the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Compliance Professionals Plc (CPP) Group.
The visit connected WATAF’s founding vision with its evolving regional mandate, as the Forum intensifies efforts to strengthen tax administrations, deepen peer learning and support improved domestic revenue mobilisation across West Africa.
Speaking during the meeting, Mr. Tapsoba described the engagement as strategic ahead of WATAF’s 15th Anniversary and said the Secretariat considered it important to return to one of the principal architects of the Forum to present the progress made over the past 15 years and seek her counsel on WATAF’s future direction.
“You started WATAF. You were there from the beginning and you are still here, and we are here to get your advice on moving WATAF forward in the best way,” Mr. Tapsoba said.
The Executive Secretary outlined key elements of WATAF’s new Corporate Strategic Plan 2026–2030 and ongoing efforts to revamp and modernise the Secretariat to deliver greater impact for member tax administrations.
He highlighted WATAF’s continuous engagement with partners to expand its work in emerging and strategic areas of taxation, including digital economy taxation, VAT harmonisation and tax expenditure reporting.
Mr. Tapsoba noted that WATAF has, over the years, expanded its engagement with regional, continental and international institutions, including ECOWAS, UEMOA, the African Union, the African Development Bank and other tax and development partners. These engagements are geared towards facilitating peer learning, strengthening knowledge and promoting a more united regional voice for improved tax systems.
“We are working to bring more impact to WATAF and its members; that is why we are giving more interest to taxing the digital economy and we are working with ACBF. We are planning a masterclass for Commissioners-General, Directors-General and experts,” Mr. Tapsoba said.
The Executive Secretary also highlighted WATAF’s relationship with the International Monetary Fund through AFRITAC and the Forum’s implementation of the Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool (TADAT) project with member tax authorities. He noted that the initiative has already covered English-speaking member countries, while the French-language phase is being planned for Benin.
WATAF is also continuing its partnership with ECOWAS to strengthen VAT and tax expenditure management in the region and advance tax harmonisation and regional integration in support of domestic revenue mobilisation.
“We are focused on the main objectives because we want to make impact, and we are here for your advice,” the Executive Secretary said.
Welcoming the delegation, Mrs. Omoigui Okauru expressed joy and appreciation over WATAF’s growth and progress, thanking the Executive Secretary and Secretariat for continuing the Forum’s work and keeping its founding vision alive.
“I am very happy to hear from you about how far WATAF has come; the impact you have made. I am happy that WATAF is where it is today. I remain committed to that dream, and you can always get my support. Whenever you need support and advice, don’t hesitate,” she said.
Reflecting on WATAF’s journey from its establishment to its current regional role, Mrs. Omoigui Okauru described the Forum in deep personal terms. “WATAF is my baby, and now it’s a teenager, and I’m proud to see it growing,” she said.
She indicated that WATAF had done much over the past 15 years and encouraged the Secretariat to show the Forum’s impact and success through data. “Honestly, you are doing a lot; you must tell the impact and the success story about what you have done,” Mrs. Omoigui Okauru said.
From May 2004 to April 2012, Mrs. Omoigui Okauru served as the first female Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria and the first female Chairman of the Joint Tax Board of Nigeria.
She is reputed to have transformed the taxation space to unprecedented levels, resulting in significant revenues generated and the development of revenue institutions at the federal and state levels as critical institutions of governance.
During that period, she was a part-time member of the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, a founding member of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), and an initiator of WATAF.
Fifteen years later, the meeting provided an opportunity for the WATAF Secretariat to reconnect with that founding vision while presenting the Forum’s evolving strategic direction and ongoing efforts to deliver greater value to member tax administrations.
Mr. Tapsoba officially invited Mrs. Omoigui Okauru to participate as a panelist at the 8th WATAF High-Level Policy Dialogue, which will be held under the theme, “Building Stronger Tax Administrations for Revenue Mobilisation and Sustainable Development.”
The High-Level Policy Dialogue will take place alongside WATAF’s 23rd General Assembly and 15th Anniversary celebrations in Accra, Ghana, in September. The anniversary will provide WATAF with an opportunity to reflect on fifteen years of regional tax administration cooperation and its continuing work to strengthen knowledge, peer learning and domestic revenue mobilisation across West Africa.
Other members of the WATAF delegation included Mr. Francis Ezeji, Administration Manager; Ms. Oluchi A. Okolo, Programme Manager; Ms. Azibator D. Obudah, Finance Manager; Mr. Usman Ibrahim, Training and Capacity Development Manager; and Danicius Kaihenneh Sengbeh, Communication and IT Manager.
About WATAF
The West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) is a regional body that brings together tax administrations across West Africa to strengthen domestic resource mobilization through cooperation, capacity development, and knowledge sharing. WATAF plays a leading role in shaping regional tax policy dialogue and supporting the modernization and harmonization of tax systems in line with regional and international standards.
