Like a tree rooted in fertile soil, the URA Tax Academy stands as a testament to growth, resilience, and opportunity. Its establishment on August 1, 2024, following the transition from the Learning and Development function to a fully-fledged Department, was more than just a change in name, it was testament of how URA nurtures and develops its people. As the saying goes, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” and at URA, we’ve recognized that our most vital link is our staff.
The demographics within URA have shifted. Today, 62% of the workforce has less than 10 years of experience, joining the Authority during a time of automation. This evolution has brought about challenges, including gaps in technical expertise, leadership capabilities, and institutional knowledge retention. It became clear that URA needed to move beyond traditional training approaches to build a superior workforce, one that is adaptable and future-ready.
The Tax Academy was therefore established with a mandate of supporting staff capacity development needs as well as providing a centre of excellence for tax and revenue administration related training for both staff and external clients.
The Academy boasts an approved establishment of 44 staff, spread across the two divisions; Programs Management and Knowledge Management, as well as the Commissioner’s Office. However, its current staffing level stands at 33 staff, highlighting a significant opportunity for growth as the Academy expands its offerings.
The Academy’s mandate is broad, empowering staff at every level of their career journey. Whether you are a new recruit seeking to understand tax administration or a seasoned professional aiming to refine your leadership skills, the Academy tailors learning opportunities to meet your needs. The Academy runs standard tax administration programs for all staff in areas of Domestic Taxes, Customs and Tax Investigations. These are majorly internally developed and facilitated by internal trainers.
The Tax Academy will also be extending its reach through external programs, including the East Africa Customs Freight Forwarding Practicing Certificate (EACFFPC) and the Domestic Tax Agents Training. These programs are designed to enhance tax education beyond URA staff, contributing to a stronger regional tax administration ecosystem.
Professional development is at the heart of the Academy’s offerings. Staff are supported to pursue globally recognized qualifications like ACCA, ACFE, and CIPD etc. Sponsorship opportunities, study leave facilitation, and bonding arrangements ensure that employees can further their education while staying aligned with URA’s strategic objectives. But learning doesn’t stop in the classroom. The Academy places significant emphasis on on-the-job training, understanding that some of the most valuable lessons come from solving real-world challenges in real time.
In addition, the Tax Academy offers Leadership Development programs Senior Management, Managers, and Supervisors; all internally developed and designed to cultivate the desired leadership culture within the organization. These programs provide a structured pathway to strengthen leadership capabilities, empower staff, and prepare them to navigate the complexities of tax administration and beyond.
The old adage goes, “Knowledge is power,” and the Tax Academy takes this to heart. Its Knowledge Management function is designed to keep the Authority at the forefront of tax insights with knowledge sharing sessions, inward benchmarks, research initiatives, and a blend of physical and digital library resources available to all staff.
Collaboration has been another cornerstone of the Academy’s success. As the saying goes, “Two heads are better than one,” and the Academy has embraced this through partnerships with various development partners where technical support is provided for both the Tax and Leadership programs. In the same light, URA has benefitted from collaborations with CATA in terms of facilitation for the CATA Senior Leadership Development Program and several technical conferences.
Looking ahead, the Tax Academy is poised to make even greater strides. This financial year alone, it is tasked with training 60% of URA staff, equipping them with the technical and soft skills necessary to achieve the Authority’s revenue targets. In order to achieve this within the resources available, focus has been placed on the Virtual Academy where a large number of staff can enroll and undertake programs anywhere, anytime at a click of a button. This Virtual Academy is a work in progress and the courses on the eLearning platform are augmented using collaborative learning tools like zoom. We are endeavouring to record as many classes as possible to ensure flexibility in our learning. We also intend to partner with other institutions to enable the Virtual Academy host programs that both staff and the general public can benefit from.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” and neither will the Tax Academy complete its journey overnight. But with every course launched, every skill developed, and every partnership forged, the Academy is laying the foundation for a legacy of excellence. This is a promise to URA staff and a commitment to Uganda’s development after all, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”