President of Sierra Leone Graces Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa’s (GIABA) 42nd Plenary and 29th Ministerial Committee Meeting

The President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Brigadier Julius Maada Bio (Rtd), honored the 42nd Plenary and 29th GIABA Ministerial Committee (GMC) Meeting, held in Freetown from November 17 to 23, 2024. The week-long statutory meetings, regarded as the most successful showcased remarkable achievements in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing in West Africa.

A major highlight of the meetings was the completion of GIABA’s 2nd round of Mutual Evaluations for its member states, marked by the adoption of the Mutual Evaluation Report of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe.

The opening session featured addresses from key dignitaries, including H.E. Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone, Mr. Sheku F. Bangura, Minister of Finance of Sierra Leone, Ms. Elisa de Anda Madrazo, President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Mr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., Director General of GIABA

The meeeting commended the West African region and GIABA for their unwavering commitment to fulfilling the organization’s mandate and they were urged to continue working collaboratively with member States to intensify efforts in combating financial crimes for the collective security and economic growth of the region.

GIABA remains a cornerstone of West Africa’s efforts to establish robust anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing frameworks, furthering regional and global security objectives.

The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) is a specialized institution of ECOWAS mandated to strengthen the capacity of its member states to prevent and combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).