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At the first joint conference of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) Country Correspondents and the ATAF Women in Tax Network (AWITN), Sierra Leone’s National Revenue Authority Commissioner-General, Mrs. Jeneba J. Bangura, called for swift action on gender-responsive tax policies.
As Vice President of AWITN, she urged African tax leaders to work towards creating tax systems that empower women economically.
Speaking on behalf of AWITN Chairman Ms. Veronique Herminie, former Commissioner General of Seychelles Revenue Commission, Mrs. Bangura linked her message to the theme of International Women’s Day 2025: “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” She explained that fair tax systems are key to Africa’s economic growth.
Reflecting on AWITN’s progress over the past four years, she mentioned that 14 ATAF member countries had pledged to introduce gender-sensitive tax policies at the 2024 ATAF Annual Meetings. However, she emphasized that more needs to be done, and the pace of change must speed up.
Mrs. Bangura spoke about the need for gender-neutral tax policies, better data collection on gender issues, and tax systems that take into account the needs of women. She also mentioned the importance of creating models for gender balance in tax administration.
She also echoed the views of Mr. Sam Shivute, Commissioner General of Namibia Revenue Agency, who recently criticized the slow progress on gender equality in taxation, saying it was unacceptable during the UNDP Tax for SDGs meeting.
At the end of the conference, Mrs. Bangura encouraged African tax leaders to collaborate more and find ways to use new technologies like AI to improve gender-responsive tax policies.
