Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang on Saturday opened the Second Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of the Intergovernmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), calling for renewed regional commitment to tackling illicit financial flows and terrorism financing.
The high-level meeting, which brought together ministers, senior officials and experts from across the ECOWAS sub-region, focused on strengthening collective efforts against money laundering, terrorism financing, and proliferation financing.
In her opening address, the Vice President commended GIABA for its relentless work in equipping member states to combat financial crimes in line with international best practices. She described the meeting as a crucial opportunity to “reimagine how our regional institutions react to emerging threats and to our evolving realities, while expanding the frontiers of cooperation.”
Welcoming delegates to the forum, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Hon. Lateef Fagbemi, highlighted GIABA’s role in safeguarding financial systems and promoting regional stability.
The outgoing Director General of GIABA, Mr. Edwin W. Harris Jnr., lauded the efforts of the organization and expressed appreciation to member states for their support during his tenure. He extended his best wishes to his successor, Hon. Sheku Bangura, Sierra Leone’s Minister for Finance.
The meeting marks a pivotal moment for GIABA as it transitions leadership and reevaluates its strategies in the face of increasingly sophisticated financial crimes threatening the region.
GIABA is a specialized ECOWAS institution mandated to combat money laundering and terrorist financing in West Africa, in collaboration with international partners and national governments.
