Rwanda’s tax revenue collection grew by 27.7% in the 2025/26 financial year, as African policymakers and tax administrators call for stronger domestic resource mobilisation to finance the continent’s development.
The figures were highlighted by Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) Commissioner General Ronald Niwenshuti during the opening of the 11th Annual Congress of the African Tax Research Network (ATRN) in Kigali.
Niwenshuti said RRA achieved 104.2% of its revenue target during the last financial year, with the growth driven by economic expansion, improved VAT collection, digital services, stronger tax recovery measures and tax policy reforms.
“In our last fiscal year, as it has been mentioned, we were able to achieve our target at least to 104.2%, with a growth of 27.7%,” Niwenshuti said.
He said the increase reflected a shift towards compliance-led revenue growth, supported by data, research and improved engagement with taxpayers.
“In other words, it was compliance-led growth, use of data, better research, better targeting, and a more disciplined relationship with taxpayers that we serve,” he said.
The performance comes as Rwanda and other African countries seek to increase domestic revenues and reduce reliance on external financing.
Speaking at the congress, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Yusuf Murangwa said financing Africa’s development from its own resources has become central to the continent’s development ambitions.
He said African countries are increasingly involved in international tax-rule negotiations because the rules will have a direct impact on how much value created within African economies can be retained and taxed locally.
“Financing the continent’s development from its own resources is at the centre of the continent’s development ambition,” Murangwa said.
He added that Rwanda’s economy is increasingly connected to regional trade and cross-border services, making international tax rules particularly important.
“For a number of countries, like Rwanda, we have an economy which depends on regional trade and on services delivered across borders. As our economies become increasingly integrated, those rules will determine how fairly we are able to tax the value created within our borders, and for that matter, we follow the negotiations very closely,” he said.
Murangwa also highlighted the role of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) in strengthening Africa’s position in international tax discussions.
“The African Tax Administration Forum exists so that Africa’s revenue administrations can support one another, speak with one voice in international rulemaking, and build the technical capacity that domestic resource mobilisation demands,” he said.
The minister’s remarks come as African governments face growing financing needs for infrastructure, health, education, technology and other development priorities, while seeking to strengthen their domestic tax bases.
The three-day ATRN congress has brought together tax administrators, researchers, policymakers, development partners and other experts from Africa and beyond to examine contemporary taxation challenges.
The congress received 190 research paper submissions, compared with 120 in 2024, representing a 60% increase in research contributions.
The discussions are focusing on issues including digitalisation, artificial intelligence, cross-border taxation, tax policy, domestic resource mobilisation and the changing nature of African economies.
For Rwanda, the congress also provides an opportunity to share its experience in using digital systems, data and taxpayer engagement to improve revenue collection.
The country is targeting further increases in domestic revenue as it seeks to finance a larger share of its development agenda from resources generated within the economy.
The discussions in Kigali therefore place research and international tax cooperation at the centre of a broader effort to strengthen Africa’s ability to mobilise and retain the resources needed to finance its own development.
