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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The International Tax Justice Academy (ITJA) has launched an intermediate training course this month aimed at strengthening civil society organisations (CSOs) and media capacity on tax justice across Africa.
The hybrid programme, running in two phases — virtual sessions from 2–11 June and in-person workshops from 15–18 June — brings together CSO actors, journalists, and tax experts to deepen understanding of tax policy, domestic resource mobilisation, illicit financial flows, and sector-specific taxation issues.
Organisers say the course has three core objectives: to strengthen participants’ technical, practical, and analytical skills to engage critically with tax justice themes; to improve collaboration between civil society and media practitioners; and to build a network of tax justice champions who can apply and cascade learning within their jurisdictions.
Phase one will feature weekly virtual modules on the fundamentals of tax justice, the political economy of taxation, domestic resource mobilisation, global tax architecture, and introductions to illicit financial flows, extractive sector taxation, and health taxes. Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) facilitators, including Nelly Busingye, Ishmael Zulu, Aya Douabou, and Christine Mutinda led sessions, with contributions from external partners such as the African Tax Institute (ATI).
The in-person component, scheduled for mid-June, will expand into practical and sectoral topics. Day one will emphasise the foundations of taxation and governance issues in domestic resource mobilisation, while subsequent days will cover extractive sector taxation, climate finance, health taxes, budget tracking, and assessing tax fairness.
Experts from ATI, Finance Uncovered, GTPC, and the International Lawyers Project will deliver specialised sessions.
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A distinctive feature of the workshop will be the separate breakaway sessions for journalists and CSOs on 17 and 18 June. Journalists will receive training in digital security, source protection, access to information, data journalism, and investigative techniques.
The CSOs will focus on negotiating tax policies, the tax implications of double taxation agreements and mining contracts, transfer pricing, permanent establishment rules, and strategies to tackle harmful tax expenditures.
The course also invests in collaboration-building: a joint forum on the final day titled “From Silos to Synergy” will task participants with co-designing models of sustained cooperation between media and civil society to advance tax justice campaigns across the continent.
Speakers will highlight the real-world stakes. Facilitators will point to how greater transparency, improved tax policy, and coordinated advocacy can increase domestic revenues for public services, reduce illicit financial flows, and ensure that taxation systems are progressive and gender-responsive.
The workshop will close with evaluation activities and reflections, with organisers inviting alumni to cascade the training in their home countries.
The ITJA course follows growing regional momentum for tax reform and transparency, as African governments and civil society press for fairer international tax rules and stronger domestic resource mobilisation to finance development goals.
Organisers say they hope the new cohort will become active advocates and watchdogs capable of holding authorities and corporates to account on tax matters.
