Push for Effective Governance Strengthens amid Digital Tax Shift

Omolabake Fasogbon

Stakeholders who gathered for the Chief Information Officer (CIO) & C-Suite Conference & Awards Africa in Lagos, recently have emphasised that robust governance frameworks are paramount to the success of Africa’s accelerating digital tax reforms and its AI-driven future.

Hence, they called for stronger collaboration, smarter infrastructure, and bolder policies to support the continent’s digital transition.

Speaking at the event, Executive Chairman of the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Dr. Ayodele Subair reiterated integrating technology in taxation, citing how digital uptake had raised Lagos revenue to up to N1 trillion IGR annually.

In his address themed “Redefining Fiscal Policy in an Era of Innovation”, he asserted that the future of fiscal policy in Africa must be driven by technology, data, and effective governance.

He highlighted how the growth of e-commerce, fintech, virtual assets, mobile payments, and cross-border digital services is reshaping traditional taxation, noting governments must rethink policy and administrative structures.

“Beyond investing in digital, evolve digital tax shift requires a governance model that balances innovation with inclusion, ensuring that as we expand the tax net, we do not widen the digital divide”, he said.

The conference themed ‘The Digital Tax Shift’ provided operators, experts, and regulators a platform to explore how digital technology can navigate emerging tax structures in Nigeria and across Africa.

Convener of the conference, Abiola Laseinde remarked that despite Nigeria is home to four of Africa’s five biggest unicorns, it still lacks adequate infrastructure to fully leverage emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“Infrastructure must be in place for seamless AI deployment, allowing policymakers to build systems that fully leverage and scale technology”, she stated.

President of CIO and C-Suite Club Africa, Olusegun Dada informed of how CIOs are blending central roles in corporate strategy to align with digital shift.