NAIROBI, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Friday called on African policymakers to embrace research and utilize the findings for public decision making to enable the continent to realize its fiscal policy goals.
Fred Mugambi, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) commissioner said that research should be well done and their findings should not end up in shelves but be used as the baseline for making public decisions.
"Researches are used to explain situations like trends in economic growth and GDP ratios, prove theories and find solutions to problems like illicit financial flows," Mugambi told a regional research conference in Nairobi.
Mugambi, who heads the KRA training school, the Kenya School of Revenue Administration (KESRA) cited funding, alignment and sequencing of research as some of the challenges hindering research in Africa's problems.
The KESRA research conference is aimed at creating a platform for participants to share thoughts on research trajection in the region and to influence the African tax agenda and create thought leaders in fiscal management in the continent.
The conference brought together revenue administrators, policymakers, researchers and scholars from various African countries.
University of Nairobi Associate Professor in the School of Business X.N Iraki noted that most African countries have not budgeted for research at national levels.
Iraki said research is an investment that needs to be taken seriously in order to solve financial problems.
Few doctorate students currently in universities are pursuing research in taxation. There needs to be research such as tax incentives, new taxes, and optimal tax rates," said Iraki.
Lary Liza, World Customs Organization representative for East and Southern Africa encouraged researchers to relook at emerging trends in technology such as blockchain and artificial intelligence to enhance taxation and customs processes, and how to fully utilize the newly established Africa Continental Free Trade Area.
