Reflecting on the 10th Africa Tax Symposium 2025

10 June 2025

3-minute read

At the end of May, we hosted the 10th annual Africa Tax Symposium (ATS) in Kigali, Rwanda. The symposium took place from 28 - 30 May and was preceded by our Masterclass on 'Navigating selected issues in International Taxation' on the 26 - 27 May, in the same location. This year marked the 10th anniversary of our flagship conference, a significant milestone that symbolized a decade of collaboration, dedication and expanding our impact and outreach in the African tax community.

ATS 2025 at a Glance

Our 2025 Africa Tax Symposium was our most-attended hosting of the event to date. Approximately 250 delegates travelled to Kigali for the three-day gathering and we were pleased to welcome a lot of new attendees along with familiar ones that we have come to recognize at ATS over the years.

Our ATS 2025 programme was developed by our Africa Knowledge Group and was themed around "Trends in International Taxation - An African Perspective". Ranging from transfer pricing to the UN framework tax convention, we focused on the critical issues that face tax practitioners in Africa in 2025. Our chairs and speakers at each session came from a broad variety of institutes, universities, private corporates, governmental authorities and more, both in Africa and internationally. We are indebted to each participant, who engaged in rich and thoughtful discussion over the three days. Further information on our programme and speakers can be found here.

A Greater Need for African Unification

One key message has been established from the symposium - the need for greater African unification and cooperation in building stronger regional tax systems and driving domestic resource mobilisation, as well as when engaging in global tax discourse. In the words of Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman, Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Nigeria, during his special address "For a prosperous, efficient, and trusted tax system, Africa must collaborate, integrate, and speak with one voice".

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA)

During ATS, we proudly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA).

This partnership is a testament to our shared commitment to advancing research, knowledge exchange, and capacity building in African taxation. By combining IBFD’s knowledge and research capacities with TJNA’s expertise in tax justice and advocacy, we aim to support fairer, more effective, and transparent tax systems across the continent.

Together, we are committed to driving meaningful tax reform across Africa and contributing to a stronger, more inclusive global tax system.

"A Decade of Bold Ideas, Rich Dialogues, and a Collective Commitment to Shaping Africa's Tax Future"

We invited Belema Obuoforibo, Director, IBFD Knowledge Centre Chair, Centre for Studies in African Taxation Member, IBFD Executive Board, Aisha Aize Isa, Manager, Centre for Studies in African Taxation Managing Principal, Africa & the Middle East Knowledge Group, and Yvette Wakabi, Managing Senior, Africa & the Middle East Knowledge Group, to share their unique reflections on the past 10 years of ATS:

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