Forum To Assess Impact Of New Tax Laws On Businesses, Informal Economy

Nigeria’s leading policymakers, tax administrators, business executives, academics and industry experts will converge at the University of Lagos on July 2 and 3 for the National Tax Forum 2026 (NTF 2026), where stakeholders will assess the impact of the country’s new tax laws on businesses, government revenue and the informal economy.

The forum, organised by Nodeori Group in partnership with the University of Lagos and the Tax Academicians Association of Nigeria (TaxAAN), is themed: “Nigeria’s New Tax Era: Implications for Businesses, the Informal Sector, and Revenue Performance.”

The gathering comes amid the implementation of four new tax laws that took effect in January 2026, representing one of the most far-reaching reforms of Nigeria’s tax system in decades.

According to the organisers, the forum is designed to provide a platform for evaluating how the new tax framework is affecting businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the informal sector and government revenue generation, while also identifying practical solutions to implementation challenges.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos is expected to deliver the welcome address, while the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Hon. Taiwo Oyedele, will attend as the Special Guest of Honour.

The forum is being convened by a team of prominent tax scholars and professionals, including Professor Shola Ajiboye of Nodeori Group; Professor Abiola Sanni, SAN, President of TaxAAN and Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos; Professor Isaac Nwaogwugwu, Vice-President of TaxAAN; and Professor O.J. Otusanya, Head of Accounting and Taxation at the University of Lagos.

Other notable speakers and moderators expected at the event include Segun Ajayi-Kadir, Director-General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); Innocent Chinyere Ohagwa, President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN); Dr. Chinyere Almona, Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI); Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA); Engr. Ifeanyi Christopher Oputa, Director-General of the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI); Mrs. Anita Erinne, Coordinating Secretary of the Tax Appeal Tribunal; and economist Professor Akpan Ekpo.

Speaking ahead of the event, the Lead Convener of NTF 2026, Professor Shola Ajiboye, said the forum would focus on ensuring that the new tax regime translates into tangible outcomes for businesses and the wider economy.

“Nigeria has rewritten its tax laws; now the harder work of making them function falls to businesses, regulators, and practitioners alike,” Ajiboye said.

“This forum exists to close the distance between what the new acts say and how they are implemented, and to ensure that SMEs and the informal sector are part of that conversation rather than an afterthought.”

The two-day programme will feature plenary sessions in the university’s main auditorium, five parallel breakout sessions and an exhibition platform for stakeholders.

Participants will examine a wide range of issues, including personal income tax, companies’ income tax reforms, capital gains and hydrocarbon taxation, value-added tax and stamp duties, taxation of the informal economy, fiscal federalism, tax harmonisation, digital tax administration, transparency, citizens’ welfare and international best practices relevant to Nigeria.

Organisers said the forum is expected to generate actionable recommendations that could help shape future tax policy and administration. Participants will issue a closing communiqué within 48 hours after the event, while a detailed forum compendium, policy report and proposed amendments to the new tax laws will be released in the weeks that follow.

The recommendations are expected to support the Federal Government’s planned review of the new tax legislation later in 2026.

NTF 2026 is being presented with Taxbags as the headline sponsor. Organisers noted that Taxbags provides the technology architecture supporting the implementation of Nigeria’s new tax laws, highlighting the growing role of digital solutions in tax administration.

The National Tax Forum is positioned as a key platform for collaboration among policymakers, business leaders, tax professionals, academics and innovators aimed at improving tax compliance, enhancing revenue performance and supporting Nigeria’s broader economic development agenda.