The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has launched a strategic technical assistance initiative in Niamey to support Niger’s Ministry of Economy and Finance in reinforcing its tax administration and expanding domestic resource mobilization.
Launched on September 14, 2026, the two-week program provides specialized training to over 30 officials from the Directorate General of Taxes (DGI), focusing on transfer pricing, international taxation, risk analysis, and corporate audit practices to prevent artificial profit shifting by multinational enterprises.
The initiative addresses critical structural shortfalls identified in a comprehensive UNECA diagnostic, which highlighted that Niger’s tax revenue-to-GDP ratio sits at roughly 8.05 percent, falling well short of the 15 percent international benchmark for developing nations and the 20 percent target set by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). With the informal economy accounting for up to 65 percent of GDP, tax expenditures consuming nearly half of total tax revenues, and uncollected tax arrears reaching CFA 225 billion, Ministry Secretary-General Sama Mamane and UNECA Subregional Director Ngoné Diop emphasized that strengthening transfer pricing enforcement and audit capabilities is essential for safeguarding the national tax base and building long-term economic resilience.
TE/Sf/lb/abj/APA