From Illicit Flows to Investigative Journalism: Kenya-Led Academy Forges Continent’s Sharpest Tax Warriors
Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA), in collaboration with the WU Global Tax Policy Centre (WU GTPC) and the African Tax Institute (ATI), will convene the 2026 edition of the International Tax Justice Academy (ITJA) from 25 May to 19 June 2026.
This event will bring together civil society actors and media practitioners from across Africa, including Liberia, for an intermediate-level training program focused on advancing tax justice on the continent.
Launched in 2016, ITJA remains TJNA’s flagship Pan-African capacity-building initiative aimed at strengthening knowledge, collaboration, and advocacy on tax justice issues across Africa.
The academy continues to equip participants with the technical, analytical, and practical skills needed to engage critically with taxation, illicit financial flows, domestic resource mobilisation, and broader economic justice issues.
The 2026 intermediate course seeks to strengthen the capacities of civil society organisations (CSOs) and media practitioners to better understand and communicate key tax justice themes while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and building a network of tax justice champions across the continent.
This year’s programme will be delivered in two phases. The first phase will consist of virtual sessions running from 26 May to 4 June 2026, introducing participants to foundational concepts such as tax justice, political economy of taxation, domestic resource mobilisation, global tax architecture, tax-related illicit financial flows, extractive sector taxation, and health taxes.
The second phase will feature in-person sessions from 15 to 19 June 2026, bringing together participants for intensive learning, practical engagement, and collaborative discussions. The programme will include joint plenary sessions and specialised breakaway tracks for journalists and civil society actors.
Key areas of focus for journalists will include digital security and source protection, access to information and legal frameworks, data journalism and financial analysis, investigative journalism, and gender-responsive, inclusive, and ethical reporting.
Meanwhile, CSO participants will engage with issues such as tax transparency and accountability, tax expenditure, international taxation, tax treaty negotiations, and advocacy strategies to advance tax justice campaigns in Africa.
The academy will conclude with a joint forum focused on strengthening collaboration between journalists and civil society actors, recognising the importance of cross-sector partnerships in shaping evidence-based advocacy and public accountability.
Through ITJA, TJNA, and its partners continue to create spaces for critical learning, exchange, and solidarity, while strengthening African-led voices and expertise in global tax and economic justice debates.
Please note that the 2026 intermediate-level programme is a closed continuing cohort comprising participants who successfully completed previous levels of the ITJA training cycle.
