Press Release

The Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), in collaboration with the National Financial Intelligence Unit (CENTIF-Côte d'Ivoire) and the Coordinating Committee for National Policies on AML/CFT and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, is organising a national workshop on the development of a framework and strategy for the collection and management of data to combat money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CFT) from 10th to 12th  November 2025 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

This initiative is part of the regional project to support the design of national AML/CFT databases, implemented by GIABA in three member states – Côte d'Ivoire, Cabo Verde and Ghana – before its extension to all ECOWAS countries in 2026.

In a regional context marked by rising risks related to money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation, strengthening financial governance and economic resilience is more important than ever. Despite the progress made, data collection and exchange systems remain fragmented and often manual, limiting the effectiveness of national AML/CFT mechanisms. This is why GIABA, aware of the strategic importance of data in the prevention and detection of illicit financial flows, supports the establishment of centralised, secure and interoperable national databases, in accordance with Recommendation 33 of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

This workshop therefore aims to provide Côte d'Ivoire with a coherent national framework for collecting, analysing and sharing data on AML/CFT/FP. Specifically, it will involve designing a centralised system to consolidate and standardise the information produced by the various institutions concerned, strengthen the technical capacities of national actors, improve inter-institutional coordination and ensure faster access to reliable data for risk-based supervision, assessment and decision-making. Through this integrated approach, the country will strengthen its compliance with FATF and GIABA international standards, while consolidating its regional leadership in the fight against financial crime.

Over a period of three days, the programme will combine plenary sessions, thematic presentations, group work and practical training. It will bring together some thirty senior executives from the main Ivorian institutions, including the BCEAO, CENTIF, the Directorate-General of Customs, the Directorate-General of Taxes, the National Police, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Platform for Combating Economic and Financial Crime (PLCC), the UEMOA Financial Markets Authority (AMF-UEMOA), the Trade and Personal Property Credit Register (RCCM), the National Institute of Statistics (INS) and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI-CI). This institutional diversity will ensure a comprehensive and complementary approach to the issue of data.

The workshop should yield concrete results, including the development of a draft national framework for data collection and management, the definition of a prioritised roadmap for its implementation, and the adoption of a plan for the gradual roll-out of the national AML/CFT/PF database. These deliverables will enable Côte d'Ivoire to strengthen the consistency and traceability of its efforts, improve the supervision of financial activities, and consolidate results in terms of investigations, prosecutions, and the confiscation of illicit assets.

Through this initiative, GIABA, CENTIF and the Coordinating Committee for National Policies on AML/CFT and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction reaffirm their shared commitment to promoting transparency, financial integrity and regional cooperation in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. This workshop is therefore a decisive step towards building a reliable and sustainable data ecosystem, promoting more secure and resilient financial governance in Côte d'Ivoire and the sub-region.

Timothy MELAYE

Ag. Head - Communications and Advocacy

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