With improved know-how and a good regional network of experts among trained national officials, the project seeks to contribute to reduce the incidence of transnational organized crime and movement of illicit financial flows.
Since the beginning of its activities in October 2022, the Project has organized over 30 workshops and trainings in multiple cities in eastern and southern Africa. Some of these meetings have been regional, bringing together participants from the 34 project beneficiary countries, drawn from their relevant national bodies who are mandated with fighting money laundering and terrorist financing, countering illicit financial flows derived from transnational organised crimes in their respective countries.
Transnational organised crimes and terrorism pose serious security threat to this region. Countries of the region (Eastern, Central and Southern Africa) are affected although in varying degrees and impact. However, criminal networks are increasingly organized and operate across borders, taking advantage of jurisdictions with loopholes in their laws and their approach to transnational organized crimes.
This demands that relevant authorities in this region must talk to each other and work together, regardless of the scale by which a country perceives itself to be affected by these crimes. The same logic applies on the global level: that with increasing interconnectedness of global markets and economies, all countries and regions have an interest in working together to jointly fight all forms of transnational organized crimes and therefore to protect their security and nationhood.
Thus, the European Union, through this project, has been supporting regional activities in eastern, central and southern Africa, dedicated to enhancing national and regional capacity in the field of financial investigations/prosecutions, asset recovery, AML/CFT and counter illicit financial flows (IFFs).
It is increasingly recognized that targeting proceeds and financial flows of serious criminal activities and terrorism, through effective financial investigations & prosecution together with effective AML/CFT measures bears much fruit in effectively mitigating the threats of organized crimes and the illicit financial flows that they generate.
And this is the strategy that we have employed in designing our regional forums, workshops, training and other technical assistance: To build the capacity of the participants to target and disrupt the financial flows generated by organized crimes. We are also training them and equipping them to recover and confiscate assets amassed through proceeds of organized crimes, and therefore to deprive criminal networks from benefiting from crime and thus effectively deter.
By training law enforcement agencies, public prosecutors , judiciary, financial intelligence units and all other relevant national institutions, the project is deliberate in seeking to improve the skills and capacities of these institutions to apply AML/CFT frameworks and tools. Also key in bringing these different agencies and departments together in one room is to eventually have them talking to one another and to realise their improved understanding on cooperation and collaboration within the criminal justice chain at the national and regional level.
With improved know-how and a good regional network of experts among trained national officials, the project seeks to contribute to reduce the incidence of transnational organized crime and movement of illicit financial flows.
The training adopts the following approach:
- A progressive approach building from financial analysis to asset recovery covering the complete chain of trial in line with the FATF’s and respective FSRBs’ standards with a due emphasis on improving effectiveness.
- A multiagency approach bringing all relevant authorities that enhance shared understanding, mutual trust and effective cooperation and coordination at national and regional levels.
- An integrated approach blending theories and practices building knowledge, skills at individual and institutional levels contextualised to the needs and priorities of the region.
- Providing specific technical – assistance to countries under the ICRG process to address their deficiencies as outlined in their respective FATF action plans and support their efforts of exiting from the ICRG review.
