From 15 April to 7 May 2025, our Programme Officer Africa, Aya Douabou, participated in the advanced level of the International Tax Justice Academy (ITJA), marking the completion of a 3-level pilot course that started in 2023 from the foundational level. She joined the ITJA from the intermediate level held in 2024 and completed the advanced level this year.  

Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) organised this year's edition in collaboration with the University of Pretoria's African Tax Institute and the University of Vienna's Global Tax Policy Center.

The course covered key subjects such as domestic and international taxation, the UN Tax Convention, taxation of the informal sector, transfer pricing of intangibles, and taxation for public health. 

As part of the training, participants went on a learning visit to the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), which provides technical support to the tax administrations of most African countries to improve revenue collection. ATAF also sits on the OECD's inclusive framework and assists the UN Tax Convention process by carrying Africa's voice. ATAF Secretariat staff made presentations about their work, which was followed by insightful engagements between the staff and ITJA participants. 

On the last day of the training, each participant was awarded a certificate of successful completion. 

With the critical knowledge acquired, participants are now equipped to advocate for tax justice in their home countries and call on their respective policymakers to support the Africa Group's negotiations for the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. 

At GI-ESCR, the ITJA has been instrumental in building our capacity to advocate for the sustainable financing of public services to realise human rights through tax justice. Once again, GI-ESCR thanks TJNA for the opportunity to deepen its understanding of tax justice at the domestic and global levels.