By Our Reporter, South Africa
The Republic of Congo has officially become the 45th member of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), strengthening continental efforts to improve tax administration and domestic revenue mobilisation across Africa.
The accession was formalised on May 27, 2026, during a ceremony held in Brazzaville, where the instrument of accession was signed by Congo’s Director General of Taxes and Domains, Mr Ludovic Itoua, and received by ATAF Executive Secretary Ms Mary Baine.
Speaking during the ceremony, Ms Baine described Congo’s membership as an important step towards strengthening cooperation among African tax administrations.
“ATAF is honoured to welcome the Republic of Congo as our 45th member. Congo’s accession strengthens our collective resolve to build stronger, more effective and more resilient tax administrations across Africa,” she said.
She added that ATAF looks forward to working closely with Congo in advancing domestic resource mobilisation and ensuring African countries continue to speak with a united voice in international tax discussions.
Mr Itoua said joining ATAF would provide Congo with strategic opportunities to strengthen its tax administration systems through technical support and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
“Congo’s membership to this organisation represents a strategic opportunity for our country. It will enable the Direction Générale des Impôts et des Domaines to further benefit from training programmes, technical assistance, exchange of experiences and best practices developed within African tax administrations that are ATAF members,” he said.
Tax Policy Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Mr François Breitzer Mounzeo, said Congo’s decision to join ATAF reflects the country’s commitment to improving tax administration and enhancing revenue performance.
“The Republic of Congo is proud to join ATAF and to work alongside fellow African tax administrations in promoting cooperation, mutual learning and stronger revenue systems,” he said.
He noted that membership would support the country’s efforts to modernise tax administration while contributing to a shared African agenda for fair and effective taxation.
ATAF said Congo’s accession forms part of its broader strategy to expand its continental footprint and ensure African tax administrations have access to technical expertise, training and peer-learning opportunities.
The organisation noted that membership would help Congo strengthen institutional capacity, improve revenue collection and participate more actively in addressing emerging global tax challenges, including transfer pricing and cross-border taxation.
ATAF is a continental platform that brings together African tax administrations to strengthen tax policy and administration, improve technical capacity and promote Africa’s interests in regional and international tax matters.
According to ATAF, interventions supported by the organisation generated 907.8 million US dollars in new tax assessments in 2025, while 685.8 million dollars was successfully collected.
Since 2016, cumulative tax assessments linked to ATAF-supported initiatives have reached six billion US dollars, with 2.8 billion dollars collected across member countries.
