THE 45TH GIABA PLENARY AND 31ST MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE MEETING ENDED ON A HIGH NOTE IN ABIDJAN
Ministers and dignitaries attending the opening ceremony of the 31st Meeting of the GIABA Ministerial Committee, held on 23 May 2026 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
The 45th Meeting of the Technical Commission/Plenary, Working Groups, and the 31st Ministerial Committee Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) were held in hybrid format from 21 to 23 May 2026 at the Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, with the participation of Member States, regional and international institutions, as well as technical and financial partners.
The proceedings of the 45th GIABA Technical Commission/Plenary and Working Groups Meetings were officially opened by Mr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., Director General of GIABA, in the prestigious Salle des Fêtes of the Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire. This important regional gathering brought together the Co-Chairs of the Evaluation and Compliance Group (ECG), delegations from Member States, experts, and technical partners working to combat illicit financial flows across West Africa. On the sidelines of the meetings, the GIABA Forum of Financial Intelligence Units (FFIU) convened in a closed-door session on Wednesday, 20 May 2026. The Forum brought together Heads of FIUs from Member States to deliberate on issues relating to enhanced regional cooperation, financial intelligence sharing, and the strengthening of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing mechanisms within the ECOWAS space. The Forum elected Mr. Mouhamadou Harouna, President of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Niger, as the new Chairperson of the GIABA FIUs Forum for a one-year renewable term. He succeeds Mr. Idrissa Mahamar Haidara, President of the CENTIF of Mali.
The official opening ceremony of the 45th Technical Commission/Plenary Meeting, held on 21 May 2026, featured several high-level addresses, including the welcome remarks delivered by General Idrissa Touré, President of the National Financial Intelligence Unit of Côte d’Ivoire (CENTIF-Côte d’Ivoire) and GIABA National Correspondent for the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire; the goodwill message by Mr. Kouao Guy Valérie, Second Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Cocody, representing the Mayor of Cocody; the address by Mr. David Borbor, Director-General of the Financial Intelligence Agency of Sierra Leone and Chairperson of the GIABA Technical Commission; the introductory remarks by Mr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., Director General of GIABA; the congratulatory message by Mr. André Kanga, Permanent Secretary of the Action Group against Money Laundering in Central Africa (GABAC); the solidarity message from H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, delivered by his representative, H.E. Ms. Fatmah Diarré, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Côte d’Ivoire; as well as the opening address by Mr. Adama Coulibaly, Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, represented by Mr. Moussa Sanogo, Minister of Construction, Housing and Urban Planning.
In his remarks, the Director General of GIABA, Mr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., expressed profound appreciation to the Ivorian authorities, CENTIF-Côte d’Ivoire, Member States, and partners for their sustained support to GIABA. Reflecting on the achievements recorded during his tenure, including the admission of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger as full members of GIABA, the commencement of the third round of mutual evaluations, and the restoration of GIABA’s credibility within the FATF Global Network, he underscored that the institution has regained a strengthened strategic position in the regional fight against financial crimes. As his mandate draws to a close on 30 July 2026, he paid tribute to the dedication of the GIABA Secretariat staff, technical and financial partners, and Member States. In their respective statements, the various dignitaries commended the progress made by Member States in implementing Anti-Money Laundering, Counter Financing of Terrorism, and Counter Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) measures. They further underscored the importance of strengthened regional cooperation, robust compliance mechanisms, and sustained efforts to address emerging threats associated with illicit financial flows, virtual assets, terrorist financing, and transnational organized crime.
Participants also reviewed the work of the Risk, Trends and Methods Group (RTMG/PRG), emerging AML/CFT issues, and the outcomes of the FATF Plenary and Working Group meetings held in February 2026. Particular attention was devoted to preparations for the third round of mutual evaluations, which has already commenced; to issues relating to the effectiveness of national AML/CFT systems; and to enhancing cooperation among Member States.
The opening ceremony of the 31st GIABA Ministerial Committee (GMC) Meeting, held on 23 May 2026 at Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan, also featured several high-level interventions, notably by Mr. Adama Coulibaly, Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire; Mr. Edwin W. Harris Jr., Director General of GIABA; Mr. Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangoura, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Chairperson of the GIABA Ministerial Committee; Hon. Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr., Senator of the Republic of Liberia; the solidarity message of H.E. Ms. Fatmah Esther Diarré, Acting ECOWAS Resident Representative in Côte d’Ivoire, representing the President of the ECOWAS Commission; as well as the opening address delivered by H.E. Mr. Robert Beugré Mambé, Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, representing H.E. Mr. Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.
In their statements, the authorities reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening regional mechanisms for combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing, while emphasizing the need for coordinated regional responses to the security, economic, and technological challenges facing West Africa.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, for his part, highlighted GIABA’s strategic role in safeguarding the integrity of regional financial systems and underscored the reforms undertaken by Côte d’Ivoire to strengthen its national AML/CFT/CPF framework, particularly within the context of its process toward exiting the FATF Grey List.
The Ministerial Committee also endorsed the reports of the 44th and 45th GIABA Technical Commission/Plenary Meetings, as well as amendments to the second and third round mutual evaluation processes and procedures aimed at enhancing the confidentiality of evaluation documents, improving the effectiveness of follow-up mechanisms, and further aligning GIABA procedures with revised FATF Standards.
At the conclusion of the meetings, participants renewed their collective commitment to strengthening regional cooperation, consolidating national AML/CFT frameworks, and improving the effectiveness of compliance mechanisms in line with FATF International Standards.
Done in Abidjan, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, on 23 May 2026.
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