ECOWAS-led STA Joint Announcement, 20 April 2026

JOINT OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

ECOWAS-Led Simultaneous Tax Audit

Republic of Liberia & Republic of Sierra Leone

A Regional Tax Cooperation Initiative Under the ECOWAS Framework

The South Centre is supporting two of its Member States, Liberia and Sierra Leone, in implementing a pilot Simultaneous Tax Examination on Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), in partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission. The pilot, which can generate potentially substantial tax revenues, will operationalize the ECOWAS Supplementary Act on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. The pioneering pilot, potentially the first of its kind in the Global South, will develop audit capacity, generate domestic revenue, and build a model that can be scaled across other Member States of the South Centre and ECOWAS.

Read more in the press release jointly issued with ECOWAS and the governments of Liberia and Sierra Leone (également disponible en français/também disponível em português):

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SouthViews No. 287, 28 April 2025

Mali’s Mining Shake-Up: Tax audits reveal massive revenue loss and lead to stringent policy changes

By Anne Wanyagathi Maina and Kolawole Omole

Mali’s recent regulatory changes and tax dispute settlements highlight the government’s determination to secure a greater share of economic benefits from its natural resources. Mali’s approach presents a lesson for resource-rich developing countries. The article explores the country’s mining tax reforms, ensuing tax disputes and settlements, and implications on revenue mobilization.

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