Tuesday, 8 May
Pre-Symposium - Arrival, Registration and Cocktail Reception
12:00 - 17:00 Arrival and Registration
19:00 - 22:00 Cocktail Reception
Day 1: Wednesday, 9 May
Registration and Opening Ceremony
08:00 - 08:45 Registration
08:45 - 09:00 Introductory Remarks by Master of Ceremonies
Kennedy Onyonyi, Kenya
09:00 - 09:10 Welcome Address
Belema Obuoforibo, Director of the IBFD Knowledge Centre, and Member of the IBFD Executive Board
09:10 - 09:30 Goodwill Messages by Cooperating Partners
09:30 - 09:45 Keynote Address
09:45 - 10:00 Setting the Scene: Trends in International Taxation
Kennedy Munyandi, Manager, Africa, Middle East & Latin America Knowledge Group, IBFD
10:00 - 10:45 Morning Refreshments & Photo Session
Session 1: Trends in International Taxation - An Overview
Moderator: Prof. Teju Somorin, Head, Association of African Tax Institutes (AATI), Nigeria
10:45 – 11:15 Global Developments in International Taxation
Prof. Johann Hattingh, University of Cape Town, South Africa
11:15 – 11:45 Changes to the UN Model Tax Convention – Impact on Developing Countries
Michael Lennard, Chief, International Tax Cooperation, FDO, United Nations, United States
11:45 – 12:15 Surveying the Post-BEPS Landscape: Are We Missing the Basics?
Lazelle Terblanche, Head of Tax, Video Entertainment, Naspers, and Chairperson, Africa Industry Tax Association
12:15 – 12:45 Questions and Discussion
12:45 - 14:00 Lunch
Session 2: Taxing the Digital Economy – Implications for Africa
Moderator: Babatunde Fowler, Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria
14:00 – 14:30 Taxing the Digital Economy - Global Trends
Ameya Kunte, Taxsutra, India
14:30 – 15:00 Taxing the Digital Economy – the African Case
Reggie Mezu, Senior Counsel, Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla, Dubai
15:00 – 15:30 Taxing the Digital Economy – the EU Perspective
Walter Andreoni,Tax Partner, Mercanti Dorio e Associati, Italy
15:30 – 16:00 Afternoon Refreshments
16:00 – 16:30 Questions and Discussion
Day 2: Thursday, 10 May
Session 3: Challenges and Prospects of the Multilateral Instrument
Moderator: Belema Obuoforibo, Director of the IBFD Knowledge Centre, and Member of the IBFD Executive Board
09:00 – 09:30 The OECD Multilateral Instrument – Key Features
Ridha Hamzaoui, Regional Tax Manager, Africa, Middle East & Latin America, IBFD, The Netherlands
09:30 – 10:00 The OECD Multilateral Instrument – The Fate of Africa’s Treaty Networks
Prof. Annet Wanyana Oguttu, Tax Law Subject Head, University of South Africa
10:00 - 10:30 Implementing the OECD Multilateral Instrument – An Indian Perspective
Parthasarathi Shome, International Tax Research and Analysis Foundation, India
10:30 – 11:00 Questions and Discussion
11:00 – 11:30 Refreshments
Session 4: Transfer Pricing
Moderator: Emily Muyaa, Managing Senior, Sub-Saharan Africa, IBFD, The Netherlands
11:30 – 11:50 Transfer Pricing Landscape Post-BEPS: Focus on French-speaking African countries
Dr. Noël-Faustin Kouame, Manager, Transfer Pricing Unit, Bile-Aka, Brizoua Bi & Associates, Ivory Coast
11:50 – 12:10 The Elusive Search for Comparables: Lessons for Africa
Sebastien Gonnet, Transfer Pricing Economists for Development, Paris, France
12:10 – 13:00 Roundtable: Transfer Pricing and the Telecommunications Sector: A Case Study from a Kenyan Perspective
Fredrick Omondi, Tax Partner, Deloitte, Kenya
George Obell, Chief Manager, International Tax Office, Kenya Revenue Authority
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
Session 5: Special Industry Focus: Extractives
Moderator: Margaret Moonga Chikuba, Director, Tax Policy, Ministry of Finance, Zambia
14:00 - 14:20 Taxing the Extractives Industry: A Global Overview
Sebastine Odimma, Head of Tax, Maersk Group Nigeria
14:20 – 14:50 Taxation of the Extractives Industry in East Africa: Problems and Prospects
Focus on Government: Dr. Boniphace Luhende, Lecturer, University of Dar es Salaam School of Law, Tanzania
Focus on industry: Gabriel Okoyo, Senior Tax Advisor, Tullow Oil, Kenya
14:50 – 15:20 Policy and Practical Considerations: Lessons for East Africa
Chief Mark Anthony C. Dike (FCTI), Past President/Council Member, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN)
15:20 – 15:45 Questions and Discussion
15:45 - 16:15 Refreshments
Session 6: Investing in Africa
Moderator: Prof. David J. Bakibinga, Head, Department of Commercial Law, Makerere University, Uganda
16:15 – 16:45 Investing into Africa: A look at Holding and Offshore Company Regimes
Caoilfhionn van der Walt, International Tax Partner, Regan van Rooy, South Africa
16:45 – 17:15 VAT/GST and the Gulf Countries: Implications for Africa?
Mohamed Faysal Charfeddine, Group Tax Manager, Aujan Group Holding, Dubai, UAE
17:15 – 17:30 Questions and Discussion
19:30 Symposium Gala Dinner
Day 3: Friday, 11 May
Session 7: Tax Transparency in the Post-BEPS Era
Moderator: Lena Onchwari, Partner, Oraro & Company Advocates, Kenya
09:00 - 09:30 Global Exchange of Information and Tax Transparency: Current State of Play
Johanne Hague, Partner, Juristconsult Chambers, Mauritius
09:30 - 10:00 Protection of Taxpayer Rights in the Era of Automatic Exchange of Information
Prof. Craig West, University of Cape Town, South Africa
10:00 – 10:20 Questions and Discussion
10:20 - 10:40 Refreshments
Session 8: Tax and Development
Moderator: Daniel Ngumy, Partner, Anjarwalla & Khanna (A&K), Kenya
10:40 - 11:40 This panel will discuss domestic resource mobilization and sustainable development in Africa with a special focus on: tax capacity building; developing the tax administration (an Egyptian perspective) and best strategies to improve the integrity of tax systems in Africa.
Panelists:
Faith Mazani, Commissioner General, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority
May Abo Ghally, Senior Technical Assistant to Vice Minister of Finance for Tax Policy, Egypt
Babatunde Oladapo, Executive Secretary, West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF), Nigeria
11:40 – 12:00 Questions and Discussion
Session 9: Tax Administration in Africa in the 21st Century
Moderator: Duncan Onduru, Executive Director, Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA), United Kingdom
12:00 – 13:00 This panel will deal with digital solutions to non-compliance (blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence and robotics) and "big data" challenges and opportunities for tax administrators and practitioners in Africa
Panelists:
Andrew Wes, Senior Manager: Corporate Income Tax & Product Development, South African Revenue Service (SARS)
Peter Caxton Kinuthia, Tax Partner, KPMG, Kenya
Nicholas Nesbitt, General Manager, IBM Eastern Africa
Representative from an East African Revenue Authority: TBC
13:00 – 13:15 Closing remarks
Belema Obuoforibo, Director of the IBFD Knowledge Centre, and Member of the IBFD Executive Board
13:15 Lunch
End of Symposium
14:30 Optional Tours
