To better communicate, advocate equitable tax systems: African journalists, civil society actors building capacity in Nairobi.

The in-person session, which began Monday, June 15, will run until Thursday, June 18. It follows the first phase of the training, which took place virtually from June 2 to 11.

Organisers said the training will enhance the capacity of participants to better analyse, communicate, and advocate equitable tax systems. 

The ITJA Intermediate Level Course has as one of its objectives to equip Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, and media practitioners with the skills to address Africa's evolving tax and economic challenges.

Officials added that it is also aimed at building the capacity of journalists to engage critically with tax policy, domestic resource mobilisation, Illicit Financial Flows, IFFs, and the social implications of taxation; connecting theoretical capacity-building with emerging continental realities — such as the impact of Artificial Intelligence, AI and geopolitics on global finance.

This, it was said, is to create actionable, context-specific interventions; fostering collaboration and networking by creating a sustainable, Pan-African platform for experience-sharing, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and peer learning to build a resilient network of tax justice champions.

Opening the training on Monday, June 15, Executive Director of TJNA, Chenai Mukumba, appreciated participants for having shown interest in taking part in the course. 

She added that TJNA wants African journalists and civil society actors to be part and parcel of the discourse on tax justice. 

Meanwhile, global tax, public finance and technology governance specialist, Dr Lyla Latif, in a keynote on the theme: “Who holds the pen? Language, AI and the question of rupture in the international finance architecture”, called for a reform of the international financial architecture. 

Speaking to The Guardian Post in a brief interview shortly after her keynote address, Dr Latif, said: “Before we think about talking about reforming or undoing the international financial architecture, we also have to see what is happening at the domestic stage. 

“So, for example in Cameroon, Kenya etc, the question is how are our laws and our institutions being put in place? Are our laws very clear? Are our laws transparent and accountable? Do they allow for stakeholder participation so that you have a public that can hold the government accountable in the sense of the procurement activities that they are undertaking, or the way in which the government is also borrowing money from foreign providers or also issuing out mining licenses?” Dr Latif questioned. 

She noted that given that there could be corruption, it means at the domestic level the law may not be strong enough to prevent the abuse of taxation. 

“It cannot challenge the stopping of illicit financial flows and that means it cannot then help with rupturing or reforming the international financial architecture,” Dr Latif affirmed. 

She continued that: “To reform up there, we have to make sure that our laws are very clear and hold government people accountable from the decisions that they make, the fiscal decisions that they take”.

The resource person noted that: “If there is a call for procurement tender, but then a politician is the one who's using his or her company to be able to win that particular tender, that's corruption”, insisting that such is, “…part of illicit financial flows. That means the country's legal system is not strong enough and if the country's legal system is not strong enough, forget about helping undo the international financial architecture”.

Calls for strengthening of constitutions

As way forward, Dr Latif underscored the need for strengthening of constitutions of countries. 

“The constitutional strength is what gives the government legitimacy and the people the power to hold government accountable. And then we need to support the Africa Union Agenda 2063 and we need to support the Africa Continental Free Trade Area agreement so that we are able to now bring about the transparency that is needed in how we are conducting business and our economic relationships,” she stated further.

It should be noted that Tax Justice Network Africa, TJNA, is a regional network of civil society organisations. It is composed of think tanks, trade unions, feminist groups, youth-led & faith-based organisations, and community-based organisations spread across African countries. 

TJNA has as mission to mobilise African citizens and challenge public institutions to influence and change policy to enable tax justice to prevail in Africa.

By Solomon Tembang in Nairobi, Kenya

This article was first published in The Guardian Post No 3820 Wednesday, June 17, 2026