The closing ceremony of the 8th Annual International Colloquium on Taxation (CIF), held from September 9 to 12, 2025, in Kintélé-Brazzaville (Republic of Congo), was held under the patronage of the Congolese Minister of Finance, Budget, and Public Portfolio, Christian Yoka, representing the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Anatole Collinet Makosso. The conference's theme was: "Role and Place of National Tax Law: The Challenges of Revenue Mobilization and Sustainability."

This ceremony was primarily marked by the presentation of the challenges and prospects facing tax administrations; a summary of the proceedings; and the Minister's closing remarks.

The occasion provided the Monetary Authority of Congo-Brazzaville with an opportune moment to emphasize the "dual objective" pursued by this Colloquium, which was attended by representatives from some fifteen African countries. These objectives are, firstly, "to improve the mobilization of revenue from extractive industries through a clear, predictable, and equitable tax framework." Secondly, "to guarantee sustainability by ensuring that this revenue is used to diversify our economy; protect the environment; invest in education, health, and infrastructure; and prepare for the energy transition."

According to the Minister, achieving these two objectives requires meeting four specific requirements.

First, “better control of the tax provisions introduced in the Establishment or Investment Agreements and their harmonization with the Directives of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) or the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).” Second, “strengthening the capacity of government agencies to audit, control, and secure revenues from large extractive companies.” Add to this “increased vigilance to combat tax fraud, evasion, and tax crime,” because these unethical practices, according to Minister Yoka, “deprive the State of essential resources.” Finally, the fourth requirement is “the integration of green and responsible taxation, adapted to global requirements for combating climate change.”

But beware of the dual nature of dependence on extractive resources, warns the Minister of Finance.

The Monetary Authority of Congo-Brazzaville drew participants' attention to the fact that the economy's heavy reliance on the exploitation of extractive resources (oil, iron, potash, bauxite, gold, diamonds, cobalt, black earth, etc.), which represent the main source of public revenue, constitutes both an opportunity and a vulnerability.

"An opportunity, because these resources, if well managed, with coherent public policies and well-trained human resources, can sustainably finance our development. A vulnerability, because market volatility, aggressive tax optimization practices, and the weakness of our control mechanisms reduce the effectiveness of their contribution to our budgets. This is why, today, more than ever, national tax law must be strengthened and assert itself as an instrument of sovereignty, justice, and sustainable development," recommended the representative of the Congolese Prime Minister. This recommendation incorporates those of the Colloquium.

Recommendations that should not remain a dead letter!

Indeed, tax experts from 16 countries were urged by the organizers of the Brazzaville Colloquium to translate the recommendations they solemnly adopted into concrete actions. "They should not remain a dead letter," they were advised.

As a reminder, the countries represented at the 2025 edition of the CIF were Benin, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea-Conakry, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Togo, and France.

It should be noted that after Brazzaville, the 9th edition of the CIF will take place in 2026 in Paris, France.

The Communication Unit of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Public Portfolio