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Alongside my research I am involved in directly designing, advising and supporting policy and administrative reform program based on findings from my research, and that of colleagues from the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) and Local Government Revenue Initiative (LoGRI).
Those projects have focused, in particularly, on translating insights from my research about property tax systems in lower-income countries into novel reform programs that have focused on enhancing administrative simplicity, transparency, fairness and accountability in order to improve administrability and public acceptability of reform.
The full scope of those projects is summarize on the website of the Local Government Revenue Initiative, including overseeing and supporting diagnostic advisory work, pilots and reform initiatives in, among others, Sierra Leone, Cote D'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Senegal, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Ethiopia. A few key and active projects are highlighted below.
Image Credit to: Wikimedia Commons.
Reforming Property Tax Systems in Sierra Leone
In 2021, the LoGRI team was instrumental in implementing property tax and business license reforms in Freetown, Sierra Leone. As a result, there was a threefold surge in revenue collection, establishing a system that is notably more comprehensive and equitable. Although revenue collection for Fiscal Year 2023 is still underway, the total revenue collected increased compared to the same period in Fiscal Year 2022.
The LoGRI team is still involved in this project, focusing on sustainability and building capacity within the Freetown City Council to maintain the system. The team is systematically ensuring council staff are able to maintain the tax database using the existing software and to lead in the printing and delivery of property tax bills and business licenses. We are also collaborating with the Sierra Leonean central government to facilitate knowledge transfer from the Freetown system.
Image Credit to: Harvard Ministerial Leadership Program.
Harvard Ministerial Forum
Harvard University hosted its annual Harvard Ministerial Leadership Forum in May 2024 welcoming finance and economic planning ministers from Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Supported by more than a dozen long-serving former Ministers and Heads of Government, the incumbent Ministers focused on how to leverage sufficient resources to invest in stimulating sustainable economic growth at a time when a large proportion of available state revenues are consumed by servicing substantial foreign debts.
Dr. Wilson Prichard was invited to lead a session on “Strategic Leadership to Strengthen Revenue Systems. In his presentation, Dr. Prichard argued that strengthening revenue systems is not merely a technical problem, but an adaptive problem which depends on understanding complex systems and navigating diverse constraints on reform. He then focused on four areas aspects of revenue systems: (1) realistic revenue targets and continuous investment, (2) priority areas for revenue mobilization, (3) diagnosing underperformance, and (4) developing reform strategies.
African Mayoral Leadership Initiative
Dr. Wilson Prichard recently participated as a facilitator and support person in a strategic planning workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This two-day event, held in collaboration with the city’s Mayor and City Council, was part of the African Mayoral Leadership Initiative (AMALI) and aimed to enhance revenue mobilization, particularly through property taxation.
AMALI is a comprehensive initiative empowering city leaders across Africa to uplift their communities. The workshop brought together around 70 senior leaders from the Addis Ababa Administration and focused on revenue mobilization strategies. Through tailored mentorship and guidance from experienced coaches, including former heads of government and mayors, participants refined their visions for urban development.
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