By Dominic Hlordzi
The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) is to hold a two-day National Sensitization Seminar for Religious Leaders and Institutions on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Requirements from 21–22 October 2025 in Accra.
GIABA aims to raise the awareness level of religious leaders on their role in the AML/CFT framework, especially the mandate of GIABA, and agree on actionable points to promote peaceful co-existence and general AML/CFT efforts.
A statement issued by Ag. Principal Officer, CAU of GIABA, Timothy Melaye, said the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders towards protecting the economies and financial systems from the laundering of proceeds of crime.
GIABA recognises the valuable contribution of religious leaders as guardians of faith, and their institutions hold tremendous sway over their followers.
Fundamentally, one of GIABA’s core Strategic Goals in the 2011–2014 Strategic Plan is the promotion of strategic partnerships with the private sector, civil society, and other key stakeholders aimed at increasing awareness of ML/TF in order to empower citizens to take action.
Recognizing the role of religious leaders in Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) and promoting the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue, the United Nations Secretary-General enshrined in its Plan of Action on PVE the importance for faith and community leaders to mentor “vulnerable followers so as to enable them to reject violent ideologies” and promote “tolerance, understanding, and reconciliation between communities.”
The statement explained that the involvement of religious leaders is vital in the fight against ML/TF to be legitimate, as well as effective and sustainable, as religious faith appeals to people on emotional levels for attitudinal changes and gives voice to the wide range of community concerns.
In using persuasion as a strategy, religious leaders need to understand what specific contribution they can, and have to, make to overcome the menace of ML and the insurgency of TF, towards transforming public understanding, attitudes, and standard-setting.
The broad themes of the seminar include: The Role of Religious Leaders in Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing; Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks and Vulnerabilities Associated with Religious Organisations; Religious Institutions as a Tool for Promotion of Peaceful Co-existence; Risk of Terrorist Abuse in Non-Profit Organisations; Promoting Tolerance and Preventing Violent Extremism.
The training will be delivered by technical experts and GIABA faculty, involving presentations, case studies, group work, and sharing sessions.
