National Workshop on Tobacco Taxation - Feb 2022

National capacity building workshop for the effective implementation of the ECOWAS and UEMOA directives on the harmonisation of excise duties on tobacco products in member states

On the 22 and 23 of February 2022, the Consortium for Economic and Social Research (CRES), in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Budget (MFB) of the Republic of Senegal, the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) and REEP organized a national capacity building workshop for the effective implementation of Directives No. C/DIR.1/12/17/ECOWAS of December 12, 2017 and 01/2017/CM/WAEMU of 22/12/17 on the harmonization of excise duty on tobacco products in member states.

This National Workshop on Tobacco Taxation was held in under the banner of the Tobacco Taxation Reforms in West Africa project, in Saly Portudal - Senegal, and attended by representatives from the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and various Senegalese government ministries.

Dr Hana Ross and Ms Kirsten van der Zee of REEP attended and presented at the workshop. Dr Ross discussed key academic findings from the project, specifically those that make the case for increasing excise taxes in the region, and the harmonisation of the two directives. Kirsten presented a new simulation model which determines the feasible cost for governments to implement a track and trace solution for tobacco.

A key mandate of the workshop was to motivate for the harmonisation of the WAEMU and ECOWAS Directives on tobacco taxation. The workshop provided a key platform for engagement between WAEMU, ECOWAS and national government representatives.

Watch a video of the workshop here:

Read more about the Tobacco Taxation Reform in West Africa project or view the journal articles related to this project here.