Johannesburg — The Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) has officially rolled out its new Anti-Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) Policy Tracker Tool, a collaborative tool or an innovative digital system designed to strengthen accountability, evidence-based advocacy, and learning across Africa’s tax and fiscal policy landscape.
The policy tracker was also launched in partnership with the African Tax Administration (ATAF) and the African Union (AU).
The tool, unveiled earlier by Francis Kairu, Senior Policy Officer at TJNA, during the 13th Pan-African Conference on Illicit Financial Flows and Taxation (PAC 2025) in Johannesburg, marks a major step forward in the network’s efforts to enhance transparency and coordination among its members and partners.
According to Kairu, the Policy Tracker Tool was developed to help TJNA and its stakeholders systematically monitor, evaluate, and document policy developments, advocacy results, and institutional impacts in the area of tax justice.
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“The Policy Tracker Tool is part of our broader commitment to strengthen institutional learning and ensure that the work we do has a measurable impact on tax policy and justice reforms across Africa,” Kairu said.
He explained that the tool forms a core component of TJNA’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) framework, serving as a comprehensive database for capturing information on legislative reforms, stakeholder engagements, and advocacy interventions across different African countries.
“With this tool, we can capture critical data points — from legislative reforms to stakeholder engagements — in a way that helps us evaluate progress and guide future strategies,” he emphasized.
The Policy Tracker has already undergone a pilot phase in selected African countries. Kairu noted that the pilot generated valuable insights that have helped refine the system and align it with TJNA’s current strategic priorities.
“The pilot helped us refine key indicators and align the tracker with our strategic plan, ensuring that every intervention is data-driven and evidence-based,” he added.
He further stated that the rollout of the tool represents a key milestone in TJNA’s mission to enhance institutional effectiveness, promote policy coherence, and ensure that advocacy efforts lead to tangible outcomes for citizens across Africa.
“This is not just about data collection,” Kairu stressed. “It’s about learning — understanding what works, what doesn’t, and how we can continuously adapt our advocacy to achieve stronger outcomes for the people of Africa.”
The Policy Tracker Tool, he explained, will allow TJNA to better assess its influence on national and regional fiscal policies, particularly in advancing transparency, accountability, and equitable taxation. The system also seeks to promote collaboration between civil society, governments, and international partners in driving progressive tax reforms.
The launch comes at a time when African countries continue to grapple with challenges such as illicit financial flows, weak tax compliance, and limited domestic resource mobilization — issues that TJNA and its partners have consistently highlighted as barriers to sustainable development.
Through this new tool, TJNA aims to provide a more structured and data-driven foundation for advocacy, enabling policymakers, researchers, and activists to track progress and measure impact more effectively.
“Our goal is to make sure that every action we take is informed by evidence and contributes meaningfully to fair, transparent, and inclusive tax systems across Africa,” Kairu concluded.
Speaking prior to the official launch and signing ceremony of the Anti-Illicit Financial Flows (Anti-IFFs) Policy Tracker, Ms. Chenai Mukumba, Executive Director of TJNA, highlighted the importance of the initiative and the growing recognition of the tool at the continental level.
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“I think really for us we just wanted to take this opportunity to officially launch and roll out the tracker,” Mukumba said. “We are really hoping that we’ll get more invitations from countries to implement it.”
She expressed excitement about the growing partnership around the tracker and its endorsement by key continental institutions.
“As has been mentioned, it is something that is now recognized by the African Union and we are excited to have been a part and parcel of that,” she noted. “So I think we’re happy to go straight to the signing and the launching — really just to appreciate all of the different partners that have been on board.”
The introduction of the Policy Tracker Tool reaffirms TJNA’s leadership in promoting tax justice and fiscal accountability, while deepening collaboration with the African Union, civil society networks, and development partners committed to ending illicit financial flows and advancing equitable economic policies across the continent.