Some officials of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) have begun specialised training aimed at transforming the way the country encourages taxpayers to meet their tax obligations.
The training is to ensure a shift away from relying predominantly on enforcement and penalties towards using behavioural science and strategic communication to improve voluntary compliance.
The two-day capacity-building workshop, which commenced on 13th of July and is expected to end on 14th July, 2026, is organised by the World Bank Group in partnership with the Swiss Cooperation Office (SECO) in Ghana and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). It seeks to equip officials with practical tools to influence taxpayer behaviour, strengthen public trust and improve engagement with citizens.
The training comes as Ghana intensifies efforts to mobilise more domestic revenue to finance development, with experts increasingly arguing that sustainable tax collection depends not only on stronger laws but also on winning public confidence.
The workshop brings together officials from the GRA’s Communication and Planning Department to strengthen their institutional capacity to design evidence-based communication strategies capable of encouraging voluntary tax compliance.
Participants are being introduced to how insights from behavioural science can help solve longstanding tax administration challenges, including improving taxpayer education, building public trust, designing more persuasive messages and implementing communication campaigns that encourage citizens to comply willingly.
Rather than treating communication as a publicity exercise, the training focuses on understanding why people behave the way they do, whether it is delaying tax registration, failing to file returns, or under-declaring income, and using those insights to remove barriers to compliance.
The expectation is that by communicating in ways that are simpler, clearer, and more relatable, tax authorities can make compliance easier for taxpayers while reducing resistance and increasing participation.
The training builds on the World Bank’s broader call for behavioural change communications to become a central pillar of tax administration in Ghana.
The workshop, held at the World Bank Group Ghana Office in Accra, is expected to deepen collaboration among the World Bank, SECO and the GRA while laying the foundation for more evidence-based communication strategies that improve taxpayer engagement and reinforce the social contract between citizens and the state.
