TrustAfrica is proud to participate in the 13th Pan African Conference on Illicit Financial Flows and Taxation, taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from October 7–10, 2025. This year’s theme, “Honouring a Legacy, Building a Future: A Decade of the HLP Report”, marks ten years since the African Union’s High-Level Panel (HLP) on Illicit Financial Flows, chaired by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, launched a continental movement to address the massive loss of Africa’s wealth through illicit outflows.
The original HLP report revealed that Africa loses over US$50 billion annually due to illicit financial flows (IFFs), with devastating economic, social, and political consequences. A more recent study by UNCTAD estimates the scale of IFFs at $88.6 billion per year, underscoring the urgency of the issue. Despite numerous policy recommendations, IFFs remain a persistent challenge across the continent.
Hosted by Tax Justice Network Africa (TJN-A) in collaboration with key partners, the conference aims to deepen the discourse by placing tax justice at the heart of Africa’s most pressing economic and political challenges—including peace and security, industrialization, critical mineral governance, and the reconfiguration of global financial systems. These conversations will center justice, equity, and sovereignty, challenging extractive paradigms and reimagining fiscal policy as a tool for transformative development.
We are especially proud that Briggs Bomba, TrustAfrica’s Director of Programs, will speak during the opening high-level plenary session, revisiting the landmark HLP Report a decade after its release. This session will reflect on the report’s legacy, assess progress made, identify remaining structural and political obstacles, and explore how the HLP’s findings have reshaped African and global discourse on tax justice, transparency, and financial accountability.
In the same spirit of collaboration and reflection, TrustAfrica will host an evening reception on the second day of the conference, in partnership with the Stop the Bleeding Campaign. This gathering will celebrate the efforts of civil society organizations in the fight against IFFs and provide a platform for sharing insights and lessons learned.
We look forward to engaging in this critical dialogue and sharing key takeaways from what promises to be a dynamic and impactful conference.
