Tax education is key to harnessing informal sector growth, says CITG President George Kwatia

The President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation Ghana (CITG), Mr. George Ohene Kwatia, has urged governments across West Africa to prioritise tax education as a strategy to harness the contributions of the informal sector to economic growth.

Speaking at the 2nd Society of Women in Taxation (SWIT) West Africa International Conference in Accra, he emphasized that the informal sector—predominantly comprised of women—remains largely untapped due to a lack of tax awareness and data capture.

“The informal sector has expanded to 80%, contributing 70% to GDP, yet it does not translate into the expected economic growth because tax compliance remains low,” Mr. Kwatia noted. 

He proposed that tax education should be introduced at early education levels to instill a culture of compliance from a young age.

“We need to integrate tax awareness into our educational curriculum, even at the kindergarten level. When children grow up understanding the importance of sharing and contributing to national development, they will not hesitate to fulfil their tax obligations,” he stated.

He also advocated vocational and professional training programs to include tax education. “Hairdressers, tailors, and other vocational professionals make significant income but lack tax knowledge. By introducing tax education as a non-scoring requirement for certification, we can ensure that these professionals understand their fiscal responsibilities,” he explained.

Mr. Kwatia called for strategic government interventions to ensure that informal sector workers are encouraged to pay taxes without feeling overburdened.

“With the right approach, we can turn the informal sector into a major driver of economic stability,” he concluded.

The conference brought together tax professionals from across West Africa to discuss innovative ways to enhance tax compliance and revenue mobilisation through women’s participation.