In a bid to strengthen its legal and institutional framework against terrorism and illicit financial activities, the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) of Liberia partnered with the Inter-governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) has concluded a 5-day Capacity Building Workshop on Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT).
The workshop, held this month, brought together key stakeholders from across Liberia’s security and financial sectors, signaling a critical step in fortifying the country’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) capabilities.
The weeklong training, aligned with the ECOWAS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan (2020-2024), aimed at equipping competent authorities, including personnel from the National Security Agency (NSA), Liberia National Police (LNP), Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), and Liberia National Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) with the necessary tools and knowledge to combat the growing threat of terrorism financing and related crimes.
During the opening ceremony, Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh, Liberia’s Minister of Justice and AML/CFT Inter-ministerial Committee Chairman, emphasized the importance of inter-agency collaboration in tackling terrorist financing effectively.
Minister Tweh noted that terrorist financing poses a significant threat to Liberia’s financial system and that coordinated national, regional, and global efforts are essential to safeguard economic stability and national security.
“We must prioritize training for our competent authorities and reporting entities to ensure we are equipped to detect, trace, and investigate illicit financial flows,” Cllr. Tweh asserted.
He continued, “This workshop is vital to Liberia’s ongoing efforts to protect our financial system from the abuse of criminal activities.”
The workshop also garnered praise from Mr. Edwin W. Harris, Director-General of GIABA, who commended the Liberian government for its proactive stance against money laundering and terrorist financing.
Highlighting the need for continuous capacity building, Harris stressed that these efforts are not isolated to Liberia alone but are critical to the broader West African region, which faces similar challenges in combating terrorism financing.
“GIABA is committed to ensuring that terrorists or their financiers do not exploit the financial systems of countries in West Africa,” Harris remarked.
He furthered that the workshop is part of a more significant effort to enhance the capabilities of enforcement agencies across the region, stressing that Liberia is taking important strides in addressing the gaps in its AML/CFT framework.
“This workshop is part of a larger effort to enhance the capabilities of law enforcement agencies across the region, and Liberia is taking significant strides in addressing the gaps in its AML/CFT framework,” he maintained.
The training covered essential topics, such as terrorist financing risk assessment, legal and institutional requirements for CFT, investigation strategies, and targeted financial sanctions. Participants engaged in practical exercises and discussions on prosecuting terrorist financing cases, asset recovery, and the importance of international cooperation.
Mohammed A. Nasser, Officer-in-Charge of the FIA, echoed the workshop’s significance in addressing key deficiencies identified in Liberia’s second round mutual evaluation report (MER-2) by GIABA.
The report pointed to gaps in Liberia’s technical capacity to conduct thorough investigations into terrorist financing.
The event culminated in the awarding of Certificates of Participation, marking the completion of the intensive training.
Simeon Frank, Deputy Inspector General of the Liberia National Police, also underscored the necessity of robust enforcement measures against money laundering and terrorist financing, particularly with the growing use of digital banking and cryptocurrency, which pose new challenges for law enforcement.
As Liberia continues implementing robust legal frameworks, including the AML/CFT Act of 2021 and the Financial Intelligence Agency Act of 2021, the government remains committed to enhancing its capacity to detect, prevent, and disrupt illicit financial activities.
The collaboration between national stakeholders and international partners like GIABA reflects Liberia’s dedication to ensuring its financial system is protected from abuse by criminal organizations and terrorist groups.
The event marked another milestone in Liberia’s commitment to combat terrorism financing, which will continue to shape the country’s path towards greater financial integrity and security on the global stage.
