Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) Executive Director Chenai Mukumba has challenged civil society organizations and media practitioners across Africa to become more actively involved in shaping tax policy and monitoring government revenue mobilization efforts, warning that fair taxation and accountable public finance management are critical to the continent’s development future.
Mukumba made the call Monday at the opening of the International Tax Justice Academy (ITJA) Intermediate Course for Civil Society Organization (CSO) actors and media practitioners in Nairobi, Kenya. The five-day training, running from June 15-19, has convened 33 participants from across Africa including Liberia to strengthen their understanding of tax justice, domestic resource mobilization, and public finance governance.
The academy seeks to strengthen the technical, practical and analytical capacities of civil society actors and journalists to critically understand, interpret and engage on key tax justice issues, while also fostering collaboration and building a network of tax justice champions capable of applying and sharing knowledge within their respective countries.
Addressing participants, Mukumba said TJNA was founded on the conviction that conversations about taxation should not be confined to policymakers and technical experts, given the direct impact tax policies have on citizens’ lives.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
“We wanted to democratise this conversation,” she said.
“We wanted to get everybody involved in conversations around tax policy because many of us are the people paying the taxes, and these decisions have very real implications for our lives.”
She stressed that taxation affects virtually every aspect of society and therefore requires broader participation from journalists, civil society organizations, academics, researchers and citizens.
According to Mukumba, the International Tax Justice Academy was established to equip non-state actors with the technical knowledge and practical skills needed to effectively engage in tax policy debates, advocacy and public accountability initiatives.
She noted that the academy has evolved significantly over the years, transitioning from a conference-style platform into a structured learning program aimed at helping participants navigate increasingly complex tax and fiscal issues.
Mukumba emphasized that while advocacy remains an important tool for influencing policy, effective advocacy must be rooted in sound technical knowledge and credible evidence.
“As much as it is important for us to do advocacy work as civil society, it is equally important that our work is grounded in strong technical and evidence-based conversations so that people take us seriously,” she said.
She encouraged participants to use the training to deepen their understanding of tax systems, public finance management and fiscal governance in order to strengthen their influence on policy discussions in their countries.
The TJNA Executive Director said informed engagement by civil society and the media is becoming increasingly important as governments seek new ways to raise domestic revenues amid growing economic challenges.
Beyond technical learning, Mukumba underscored the importance of creating strong professional relationships and partnerships among actors working in the tax justice space.
She said lasting policy change can only be achieved through collective action rather than isolated efforts by individual organizations.
“If there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is that understanding the work is important, but building relationships with people in this space is equally important,” she said.
Mukumba encouraged participants to use the academy as an opportunity to build connections, exchange experiences and establish partnerships that can continue long after the training concludes.
“We are not going to achieve meaningful change as individual organisations working alone. Partnerships remain critical to advancing the tax justice agenda across Africa,” she added.
Mukumba observed that domestic resource mobilization has emerged as one of the continent’s most pressing policy priorities as African governments confront declining development assistance, rising debt burdens and increasing demands for public services.
She noted that issues long championed by tax justice advocates are now moving to the center of national, regional and international policy discussions.
“The conversation around financing and resource mobilisation has become much more urgent,” she said.
“African countries are increasingly asking how they can generate and retain resources in a way that is progressive and beneficial to their populations.”
She said reductions in external development financing have intensified pressure on governments to generate more domestic revenue, making transparency, oversight and accountability more important than ever.
According to Mukumba, civil society organizations and journalists have a critical role to play in ensuring that governments pursue equitable tax policies and manage public resources responsibly.
While acknowledging the need for governments to increase revenue collection, Mukumba cautioned against policies that place excessive burdens on low-income and vulnerable populations.
She called on civil society actors and the media to closely scrutinize government decisions and ensure that resource mobilization strategies do not come at the expense of ordinary citizens.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
“There needs to be a strong line of people willing to speak out and ensure that resource mobilisation efforts do not come at the expense of the most vulnerable members of society,” she said.
Mukumba also urged greater oversight of multinational corporations operating on the continent, arguing that African countries must do more to ensure their natural and economic resources generate fair benefits for their people.
“We cannot continue to allow resources to be extracted from our countries without ensuring that our people benefit fairly,” she said.
As the training got underway, Mukumba expressed confidence that participants would leave the academy with stronger technical expertise, enhanced networks and a greater capacity to contribute meaningfully to tax justice advocacy and public accountability efforts.
She reaffirmed TJNA’s commitment to supporting participants beyond the training and helping build a continent-wide community of tax justice practitioners dedicated to promoting equitable and sustainable resource mobilization.
“The work of tax justice remains as important as ever,” she said.
“Even as funding becomes more constrained, these issues must remain at the centre of our development conversations because they directly affect Africa’s ability to finance its future.”
