The Minister of Finance of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Ahmed Sheku Fantamadi Bangura, assumed the role of Chairman of the Committee at the just concluded Extraordinary Session of the GIABA Ministerial Meeting in Accra, Ghana, on 19 July 2025.
In his statement, Minister Bangura expressed gratitude and appreciation to his predecessor, Hon. Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, who is currently the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for his leadership during his tenure.
He further committed himself fully to collaborating with all members to further GIABA’s vital mission and the GMC, as GIABA’s highest decision-making body under its statutes.
The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) is West Africa’s regional body responsible for combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and Proliferation Financing. GIABA was established as a specialised institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by the Authority of Heads of State and Government in December 2000 to enhance its members’ capacity to prevent and control money laundering and terrorist financing across the region.
In this capacity, the Minister of Finance will guide his fellow ministers from GIABA member states, steering deliberations toward consensus-driven decisions that will strengthen the collective fight against financial crime. Having actively participated in past GMC meetings, Hon Bangura is familiar with the processes to achieve meaningful outcomes under his leadership.
The incoming chairman noted that the second round of mutual evaluations demonstrated strong foundational progress in anti-financial crime frameworks across the region, but with the evolving landscape marked by cybercrime sophistication, illicit maritime financial flows, and the withdrawal of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) from ECOWAS, demands vigilance and adaptive strategies.
Therefore, the Minister of Finance from Sierra Leone calls on fellow ministers to prioritise enhanced regional cooperation to close gaps in cross-border coordination, ensuring a united front against illicit financial flows, targeted capacity-building to equip national authorities with the specialised skills and tools needed, and establishing robust intelligence-sharing mechanisms will enable real-time collaboration, among others.
Ahmed Sheku Fantamadi Bangura calls for a shift from technical compliance to demonstrable effectiveness in combating financial crimes and the unwavering political commitment at the highest levels to sustained investment, policy alignment, and leadership to translate strategy into tangible results.
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