Abuja, Nigeria – Daniel Ankrah, Senior Communications Officer for the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), has urged communication directors of tax bodies throughout West Africa to use digital technologies to increase taxpayer awareness and promote tax compliance.
Mr. Ankrah discussed Liberia’s success stories of how digital communication tactics have greatly increased taxpayer awareness and compliance while serving as a panelist at the West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) Conference for Communication Heads.
In order to guarantee that tax-related messaging is understandable, efficient, and clear, he also underlined the necessity for communication leaders in tax administrations to provide tax professionals with basic communication training.
With the topic “Fostering Effective Communications for Institutional and Corporate Development in Tax Administrations: The Role of WATAF Focus Persons,” the conference welcomed attendees from all 15 West African nations. Interestingly, it also included an official from the American Center for Tax Administration for the first time.
The two-day program was designed to address communication issues, promote experience-sharing, and improve communication tactics amongst tax officials. Creating successful advocacy campaigns, using digital media to involve stakeholders, developing cooperative strategies, and managing crisis communications were among the main subjects covered.
Representing Liberia at the conference were Daniel Ankrah, Senior Communications Officer at LRA, and Yankoi Miller, Acting External Affairs Manager. Other Panelist included Wapinu Ndule, institutional development and Corporate Affairs Manager, WATAF, Soma Etienne, Head of Corporate Communications Department, Direction Generale des Impots (DGI), Burkina Faso, and Maari Sarr, Country Correspondent, Gambia Revenue Authority.
The training is the 20th WATAF Conference Meeting and the first under the new leadership of WATAF. In order to improve tax compliance and public involvement within their respective tax authority, the tax communicators are required to use their newly learned abilities to execute digitization projects and boost communication strategies.
WATAF is an essential forum for regional collaboration, encouraging creative communication strategies that improve revenue mobilization and tax administration throughout West Africa.
