ALGIERS, Nov 4, 2025 – The annual meetings of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF 2025) commenced Tuesday at the Abdelatif‑Rahal International Conference Centre (CIC) in Algiers and will continue until November 7 under the theme “Embracing efficient and targeted approaches to equitable tax systems.”
The opening ceremony was presided over by Finance Minister Abdelkrim Bouzred, in the presence of several government officials, finance sector executives, representatives of employers’ organizations, as well as delegations from African tax administrations belonging to the Forum, international experts and representatives of specialized international tax organizations.
The event aims to develop a joint roadmap to meet current tax challenges, strengthen tax compliance, leverage the opportunities offered by the evolving global tax landscape, and amplify Africa’s voice within international institutions in a rapidly changing world where pressures on public finances are intensifying and robust modern taxation is a core pillar to fund sustainable development in Africa.
The ATAF serves as a platform to reinforce the African agenda in sustainable domestic resource mobilization, enhancement of tax governance and promotion of inclusive economic growth. It also facilitates the exchange of experiences and deepens dialogue on ways to strengthen the continent’s capacity to finance its own development and ensure lasting transformation.
The work at ATAF 2025 will cover strategically important themes such as digital transformation of tax administrations, the fight against illicit financial flows, erosion of the tax base, reform of the international tax system and the challenges posed by the digital economy, as well as widening the tax base and strengthening taxation as a source of financing for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Closed‑sessions of the Forum began Monday with meetings of the Technical Commission, focused on international taxes, information exchange, direct and indirect taxes, tax administration, as well as a meeting of the Board of the Women in Tax Network (AWITN) under the Forum.
The program for the first day includes two major sessions in the morning: one on the evolution of global tax governance and Africa’s contribution to strengthening international tax cooperation; the second on the impact of rapid demographic changes such as population growth and digital transformation on tax systems and management of mobile cross‑border labor. In the afternoon two more sessions will be held: one on strategies to enhance tax compliance in the informal sector and among high‑net‑worth individuals and those whose income and assets are difficult to trace, the second on Africa’s interaction with global carbon‑pricing mechanisms as a way to promote sustainable development and limit the effects of climate change.
Created in November 2009, ATAF is a forum for dialogue and consultation on improving tax systems in Africa. It aims to strengthen the effectiveness of tax administrations and support national resource mobilization in order to boost the continent’s economic growth. Algeria is the 43rd member to join ATAF, which currently counts 44 countries, as part of an ambitious vision to strengthen the national tax administration’s capabilities in order to improve revenue mobilization, intensify the fight against tax fraud and evasion, and against illicit financial flows, as well as to convey the united African position on international tax challenges.
The previous editions of the Forum, whose headquarters are in South Africa, were held in Kigali (Rwanda) at the end of 2024.
