Mr Yankuba Darboe, the WATAF Chairman and the Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), visited H.E. Dr Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on 2 December, 2022, at the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
The purpose of the visit was to re-introduce the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) and to express gratitude to the ECOWAS Commission for the invaluable support and goodwill shown to the Forum since its inception, which has resulted in positive results in the integration of tax administration in the West African region, as well as to solicit additional commitment to the Forum’s activities.
Mr Darboe stated in his remarks that WATAF has been the voice of tax administrations in West Africa and has over the years provided capacity training events for its members, which has greatly helped tax collection in the region. He said that taxation has proven to be a reliable source of revenue and that the Commission’s continued support for the Forum would assist in an increased Domestic Revenue Mobilisation (DRM) in West Africa.
While welcoming the WATAF delegation, H.E. Dr Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, agreed that now more than ever, DRM is vital to financing sustainable development across the region – especially with the urgent need to maintain peace and security in West Africa. He assured the WATAF Chairman of his support and said that the mandate of WATAF falls in line with the overall objectives of the new ECOWAS Management with regards to integration. He emphasized the need to strengthen the existing relationship between the ECOWAS Commission and WATAF.