LoGRI is excited to share the publication of its 2023-24 Annual Report, showcasing our growth in country engagements, knowledge production, as well as global influence and partnerships. Key milestones include:
- Deepened engagements in 15 countries
- Continued discussions with potential reform partners in 6 countries
- Published 31 research outputs
- Participated in 32 national/ international events
- Secured €3 million in core program funding
Reform in Action
Of our country-level engagements, two impact stories stood out this year:
Kenema, Sierra Leone: Following a diagnostic assessment and pilot project, LoGRI supported the design and implementation of a city-wide reform launched by the Kenema City Council in June of 2023. We helped train local staff, led a city-wide property identification initiative that leveraged satellite mapping, oversaw the digitization of tax administration through the introduction of a novel IT system, and supported the delivery of tax bills.
Progress:
- Features of over 50,000 buildings catalogued, increasing properties in the tax roll from 14,000 to 27,000, and nearly tripling Kenema’s revenue potential.
- 83% increase in revenue collected compared to total collection in 2023, as of August 7, 2025.
- Introduction of the country’s first mobile money system for payment of property tax, and an appeals desk to address taxpayer concerns.
- Helped scale this reform to a third city – Makeni, partly enabled by Kenema’s success.
Kananga, Democratic Republic of Congo: In collaboration with UC Berkeley, LoGRI is providing technical and financial support to the citywide adoption of a new property tax and IT system in Kananga, DRC. In addition to designing a simplified approach to property identification and valuation, LoGRI led the identification and development of a tailored property tax IT system, building on the system used in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Progress:
- Property data collected on 98.5% of properties in Kananga using a simplified method.
- Training of local officials for bill printing, delivery, and collection underway.
- Completion of bill printing and deployment of the new IT system is expected in early 2025.
Knowledge and Learning at Scale
Our research seeks to apply our experience in specific reform projects to share broader lessons on the design and implementation of successful property tax reform.
- We translated our on-the-ground experience and lessons learned into 31 published outputs this year, including 6 public-facing research reports, 4 guidance notes, 4 fact sheets, 6 policy briefs, 4 diagnostic assessments/research papers, 5 blogs, and 1 operational guide. View all publications here.
- This year we worked with our board to design the LoGRI Talent Program to establish a reliable pipeline of experts to deliver research, run diagnostics, and support reforms. Set for launch in 2025, the program includes an Associates Program to mobilize senior collaborators and a Property Tax Development Program to train and deploy emerging experts, especially from lower-income countries.
Supporting Fit-for-Purpose IT Solutions
Because unsuitable IT systems are often a significant barrier to successful property tax reform, supporting the development and deployment of locally appropriate IT systems remains a key LoGRI priority. In December 2024 LoGRI published Guidance Note 4 summarizing core IT system design choices to improve procurement and system design.
We also partnered with Baloosoft to upgrade the open-source IT system deployed in Sierra Leone to produce a scalable off-the-shelf IT system to support property tax administration in lower-income countries. We have secured a World Bank–funded project with the Government of Sierra Leone to customize and scale the platform nationwide.
A Louder Voice in Global Conversations
LoGRI is becoming a fixture in global discussions on property tax, hosting panels at the World Bank Land Conference, co-chairing the LPSA Subnational Finance Working Group, and sharing insights at the Harvard Ministerial Forum, among many others. In total, we featured in 23 international events and hosted or co-hosted 14 events. We’re also proud to collaborate with a wide range of local and international actors, amplifying the reach and impact of our work. Key examples of this include:
Engaging Intergovernmental Networks: Following our workshop series with member governments of the Addis Tax Initiative, we moved from knowledge-sharing to consultative support, delivering tailored assistance to Madagascar and Basse Area Council.
Forging Knowledge Partnerships: LoGRI’s chair, Wilson Prichard, spoke at two African Mayoral Leadership Initiative (AMALI) events, prompting talks of a formal partnership to deploy LoGRI and African Centre for Cities (ACC) expertise for emerging African leaders.
Funding for the Future: In December 2024, our largest donor renewed its commitment with a €1 million-per-year French core grant that will fund LoGRI through 2027, while the UK FCDO agreed to finance the expansion of our Sierra Leone program to Makeni—together securing the resources that underpin our next phase of local-revenue reforms.
To learn more, read or download the full 2023-24 Annual Report at https://logri.org/about-us/annual-reports/