West Africa’s leading regional body in the fight against financial crime, the Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), will convene its 44th Technical Commission and Plenary Meetings in Monrovia from November 17–21, 2025. The gathering, which occurs twice annually, brings together anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) experts, policymakers, and partners from across the sub-region to evaluate progress, strengthen cooperation, and reinforce national and regional responses to economic and financial crimes. This session will center on critical Follow-Up Reports under GIABA’s second-round mutual evaluation framework, assessing the AML/CFT performance of Mali, Niger, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
These evaluations analyze how effectively states implement laws, policies, and regulatory measures aligned with international standards especially those issued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Member States will also review the gaps previously identified in their systems and discuss strategies for achieving full compliance and strengthening institutional resilience. Alongside the evaluations, experts will engage in technical sessions of the Risks, Trends and Methods Group (RTMG) and the Policy Review Group (PRG). Key agenda items include updates to the regional typology report on money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing (ML/TF/PF) risks linked to trade, as well as the adoption of a new Operational Manual for national Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs).
A closed-door Regional Forum of FIUs, a special briefing by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, and the election of the bureau for the Technical Commission are also scheduled. The formal opening ceremony is slated for November 20, 2025, with the President of Liberia invited to declare the session open. The meeting will culminate in the celebration of GIABA’s 25th Anniversary on November 21, marking a quarter-century since ECOWAS established the institution in 2000 to confront the growing threats of money laundering and terrorist financing. The milestone provides a moment not only to honor GIABA’s achievements but also to reflect on emerging ML/TF/PF challenges, reaffirm its mandate, and galvanize Member States and partners toward a stronger, more unified regional AML/CFT/PF architecture.
Author: Cooper K.Sangar Jr.
