Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
Heads of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and senior policymakers from West and Central Africa have converged on Abuja for a high-level capacity-building workshop aimed at strengthening operational independence and enhancing the region’s collective response to financial crimes.
The workshop, organised by the Egmont Centre of FIU Excellence and Leadership in partnership with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, held from April 21 to 23, 2026, provided a strategic platform for participants to exchange experiences, assess existing frameworks, and address critical issues relating to governance, autonomy and institutional safeguards.
Declaring the workshop open, the Chief Executive Officer of NFIU, Hafsat Abubakar Bakari, underscored the importance of operational independence as a core requirement within the global anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework.
“Independence is not a technical detail; it is a cornerstone of effective governance, financial integrity and national security,” she said, stressing that FIUs must be shielded from undue influence to function effectively.
Bakari reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to upholding international best practices, including the Egmont Principles for Information Exchange, while strengthening legal and institutional safeguards that preserve the credibility and neutrality of financial intelligence processes.
In his remarks, ECOFEL Programme Manager Michael Boole noted that the workshop was tailored to support FIUs in developing practical, context-driven solutions that reflect the unique challenges within their jurisdictions.
He emphasised that sustained collaboration, peer learning, and transparency are essential to reinforcing institutional autonomy and improving cross-border cooperation in tackling illicit financial flows.
Discussions during the sessions highlighted the risks associated with weak institutional independence, noting that political or administrative interference could undermine the ability of FIUs to analyse, disseminate, and act on financial intelligence objectively.
Participants also explored mechanisms for strengthening governance structures, improving legal protections, and enhancing information-sharing frameworks to ensure that FIUs operate with the required level of autonomy and accountability.
The workshop is expected to further deepen regional cooperation, build technical capacity, and support ongoing efforts by countries in West and Central Africa to align with global standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Egmont Group.
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