• Lomé hosts regional conference on climate-focused tax policies

• Eight African countries discuss environmental tax reforms

• Event supports domestic resource mobilization for climate action

Lomé has hosted a regional conference on climate-focused tax policies since Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. The five-day event, organized by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in partnership with the West African Tax Administration Forum (FAFAO), provides a forum to discuss ways to mobilize domestic resources for environmental action.

Public finance and environmental officials from eight African countries — Togo, Gambia, Rwanda, Djibouti, Uganda, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic — aim to deepen their understanding of climate-related taxation. Discussions focus on sharing best practices in designing, implementing and monitoring such policies, and on equipping participants with practical tools to develop and manage them.

Participants are reviewing environmental tax instruments, assessing African and international experiences, and identifying reforms suited to their national contexts. The initiative forms part of the CADAST project, led by ACBF and the African Development Bank (AfDB), which supports African governments in implementing macroeconomic policies that integrate climate considerations.

According to Peguewinde Rodolphe Bance, head of ACBF’s Economic and Social Governance Unit, the Lomé conference builds on findings from a recent institutional study on tax policy challenges in Africa. The study points to limited technical capacity to design effective environmental taxes, weaknesses in tax administration and compliance, gaps in data and analytical tools, and a growing need for coordination between tax, climate and budget policies.

For Mawusse Adetou Afidenyigba, chief of staff at Togo’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, the conference comes at a critical time as governments confront the challenges of green taxation. “Climate change is no longer a distant or hypothetical threat; it is now a major economic and budgetary reality for our countries,” she said.

In response, Togo has launched reforms to strengthen domestic resource mobilization, improve the efficiency and fairness of the tax system, and align public policies with sustainable development and climate resilience goals, she added.

Esaïe Edoh