PROFESSOR ANNET OGUTTU

Prof Annet Wanyana Oguttu is a professor of tax law in the Department of Taxation and the African Tax Institute in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria. She holds a doctorate in tax law. Her field of specialisation is international tax law; and in which she has published many articles in various internationally accredited journals. She is rated as an established researcher under South Africa’s National Research Foundation. She is the author of: the ground-breaking book entitled “Base Erosion and Profit Shifting: A Blueprint for Africa’s Response” (IBFD, 2021); the seminal book “International Tax Law: Offshore Tax Avoidance in South Africa” (Juta, 2015); co-author of “Tax Law: An Introduction” (Juta, 2020) and has written several book chapters in other tax text books.

Prof Oguttu is a member of: the UN High-Level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity for Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (FACTI Panel); the Davis Tax Committee (DTC) which was appointed by South Africa’s Minister of Finance to assess South Africa’s tax policy framework; and she has served a Commissioner of the South African Law Reform Commission. She has written commissioned reports on various international tax issues for national and international bodies such as: South Africa’s National Treasury; SARS; South African Reserve Bank; UN/ECA; UN/DESA and IFA. She has presented Keynote addresses at conferences organised by international bodies such as: the OECD; ATAF; ICRIT; SAIT; IBFD; ICTD; Institute of Austrian and International Tax Law -Vienna and the London School of Economics. She is a board member of: the African Tax Research Network; UP/Gordon Institute of Business Science and the Tax Faculty. She has served as a visiting professor at the University of Johannesburg and the Institute of Austrian and International Tax Law -Vienna.

DR. MUGAMBI MWIRIGI

Dr. Mugambi Mwirigi is the Commissioner of Kenya School of Revenue Administration (KESRA) which is the training School of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). Previously he was the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Academics and Students Affairs since April 2016. He holds a PhD. in Entrepreneurship, a Master of Science degree in Entrepreneurship, a Bachelor of Business Administration (1^st class honors) degree and a Diploma in Small Enterprise Management attained from Galilee International Management College, Israel. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program from Strathmore University. Dr. Mugambi has also been trained in various areas in South Africa, China and Prior to joining KRA, Dr. Mugambi was the founding Director of the Mombasa Campus of The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) where he was the Director for 7 years. Overall, he taught at JKUAT for 11 years and rose to the level of Senior Lecturer. While at JKUAT he was also the Chairman of the Nairobi Industrial Park the initiative that gave rise to a bid by the University to assemble laptops for the government. Prior to joining JKUAT he taught at Kenya Methodist University and also worked at Kenindia Assurance Company.

Dr. Mugambi has published three books namely Leadership Beyond the Boardroom, Journeying to the Horizon and Teardrops from My Heart, one book chapter and more than 30 research papers in refereed journals. He has also supervised 15 PhD and many Master’s students to graduation.

Dr. Mugambi sits in various boards and committees. He currently sits on the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), Advisory Board of the African Tax Research Network (ATRN). He has in the past served as the chairman of the Board Recruitment Committee for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) under the Ministry of Education. Dr. Mugambi is also a member of Rotary International where he is involved in various philanthropic activities.

In the past, Dr. Mugambi has conducted Consultancy and training tasks for many national and international organizations including JICA, Ministry of Industrialization, Consumer International, FAULU Kenya, East African Breweries Limited, GIZ, Adam Smith International, Kenya Education Staff Institute, Kenya Coconut Development Authority and Githunguri Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society, among others in 6 countries. 

DR. AIDA OPOKU-MENSAH

Dr Aida Opoku-Mensah is currently the founder and MD of Centric Digital Ltd a private company based in Ghana, which is providing innovative, practical & value-centric applications to promote the digital economy.

She previously worked with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) as Chief of Staff to the Executive Secretary & Special Advisor on SDGs where she coordinated and provided strategic advice on SDGs activities within the Commission, including the African Union-UN Framework on SDGs & Agenda 2063. Aida supported activities of the High-Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa established by ECA and managed the ECA-led Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) Technical Consortium of Stakeholders (IFF Working Group), and worked with organizations such as ATAF, Mbeki Foundation, TNJA, CoDA and others on the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the High Level Panel on IFFs, which was chaired by former South African President Thabo Mbeki.

In previous roles in the same organization she was Director, ICT, Science & Technology Division, where she managed ECA’s programme on Harnessing Information, Science and Technology for Africa’s Development, which included promoting the digital economy in Africa.

Aida holds a BA Hons in Linguistics from the University of Ghana; a Diploma in - International Studies from the University of London; a MA in Communication Policy Studies from the City University, London; and a PhD in Political Science and Communications from the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds.



Dr Opoku-Mensah sits on a number of boards, including the Walker Institute Advisory Board (University of Reading), the University Advisory Council of the Accra Institute of Technology, and vice-chair of the advisory board of the CSO, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria. She recently joined the ATAF Advisory Committee of the African Tax Research Network (ATRN).

PROFESSOR NICAISE MEDE 

Mr Nicaise MEDE is Professor of Public Law and Political Science and holds a degree in moral and political philosophy. He is Honorary Director of the Centre for Studies and Research on Administration and Finance. He is also, since December 2021, the President of the West African Society of Public Finance (SOAFiP).

MS. HALIMA M. SHEHU 

Ms. Halima M. Shehu is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria. She has a BSc in Management Studies and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA).



Ms. Shehu is a seasoned professional with her career spanning over 20 years with experience across diverse sectors. She started her professional career in the banking industry and thereafter, had a brief stint lecturing before joining Global Environmental Facility (GEF), an international organization that provides finance to tackle environmental issues.

She joined the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in 2008 where she currently works. She served in various capacities and subsequently rising to the position of Head- Planning, Research and Statistics. She has acquired expertise in this area and has worked on several top Management committees and technical missions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and other International donor agencies. Ms. Shehu has a passion for reading, innovation and a lover of nature.

PROFESSOR STEPHANUS VAN ZYL 

Stephanus van Zyl is a professor in Tax Law in the department of Mercantile Law at the University of Pretoria, and a visiting professor at the Gujarat National Law University, India. He lectures in Income Tax Law, Value Added Tax Law, Tax Administration, and International Tax. He holds a doctorate of law in Tax from the University of South Africa. He is an NRF rated researcher.

He served as an advisor for the Davis Tax Committee, and he advises National Treasury regularly. He is a member of the African Tax Administration Forum VAT Technical Committee. He has published widely on Income Tax, Value Added Tax (South Africa, Europe, and India), Tax Administration, and International Tax.

MR. HENRY GAPERI

Mr. Henry Kanyesiime Gaperi is the Regional Revenue Administration Advisor at the IMF Regional Technical Assistance Centre - AFRITAC WEST 2. He has also worked in the same capacity in the IMF AFRITAC East serving seven eastern African countries. Henry has over 25 years of experience in taxation, revenue administration and institutional re-engineering. Prior to joining the center, Henry served as the first Commissioner General of Office Togolais des Recettees (OTR), where he helped the Government of Togo to create their revenue administration.

He held several senior positions in Rwanda including: Chief Executive Officer of the Social Security Fund of Rwanda (SSFR) where he spearheaded reform and modernization of the social security system in Rwanda; The Commissioner General of Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) where he championed reform and modernization of the Rwanda tax system ranging from policy, administration and legal framework.

He coordinated the introduction of VAT in Rwanda. He also served as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, Investment, Tourism and Cooperatives in Rwanda. He chaired the Rwanda Capital Markets Advisory Council charged with developing and regulating capital markets in Rwanda. He coordinated the introduction of the Capital market in Rwanda which commenced in 2008. He was a member of East Africa Information and Communication Technology Impact Investment task force. He has served on a number of boards including banks, academic institutions and NGOs.

Before joining the civil service, Henry worked and lectured at several universities both in Canada and Rwanda. He has an MBA from Simon Fraser University in Canada and a Bachelor of Commerce from the National University of Lesotho. He is a fellow of the African Leadership Initiative and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

CHENAI MUKUMBA

Chenai Mukumba is the Executive Director at the Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA). She is based in Nairobi, Kenya and overall provides strategic leadership and direction to deliver on TJNA’s mission and vision in its various thematic areas. Chenai has a master’s in International Relations from Wits University, Johannesburg and is currently studying for  a master's in Taxation at the University of Oxford.

Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) is a research and advocacy organisation with a robust network of civil society organisations with the united effort of leading tax justice voices across the continent. Through its Nairobi Secretariat, TJNA collaborates closely with its member civil society organisations to curb illicit financial flows (IFFs) and promote progressive taxation systems. In partnership and collaboration with other regional economic governance institutions, TJNA advocates for tax policies with pro-poor outcomes and tax systems that curb public resource leakages and enhance domestic resource mobilisation. TJNA’s vision is to see a new Africa where tax justice prevails and ensures equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development.