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‘Intensify fight against anti-money laundering, terrorists financing’

Anti-money laundering stakeholders have been urged to deepen their commitments and efforts in the fight against activities underlying money laundering and terrorist financing in West Africa.

The Director General of the Inter-governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), Edwin Woryonwon Harris, Jr said the world was suffering from acts of organised and crossed border crimes, particularly drug trafficking, arms trafficking and illegal wildlife trafficking, all of which fueled violence and terrorism.

He said this in a statement read on his behalf by the Manager, GIABA Information Centre, Lagos, Mr Timothy Melaye at the regional training on investigative journalism on economic and financial crimes at Assinie in Cote D’Ivoire.

“Organised crime knows no borders and all nations must cooperate fully to address it.” GIABA alone cannot overcome these problems,” Mr Junior stated.

“Whatever efforts we make at the regional level will have little impact without the commitment of all. Together, hand in hand, we will achieve GIABA’s mission for a transparent world,” he added.

Mr Harris noted that the workshop illustrated the numerous actions through which GIABA intended to pursue and strengthen its co-operation with stakeholders in the media to adopt collective measures against crimes of all kinds that threaten member states.

He indicated that the group since 2009 had conducted sensitisation programmes for journalists and that culminated in the establishment of a regional network of investigative journalists specialising in the reporting of economic and financial crimes in Abuja, Nigeria in 2010.

“The 2016-2020 strategic plan developed by GIABA in the context of the ever changing global outlook on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing Terrorism (AMLCFT) emphasises the need for closer and more productive collaboration with the media.

Mr Harris stressed that in every member state, GIABA had great intermediaries who were important pillars in the fight it carried out daily towards establishing an environment devoid of money laundering to peace building.

He used the opportunity to assure of the group’s unflinching commitment to the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.

FROM ABIGAIL ARTHUR, ASSINIE, COTE D’IVOIRE

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