By Nkechi Eze
Nigeria has stepped up preparations for its forthcoming third-round assessment on anti-money laundering, counter-financing of terrorism and counter-proliferation financing (AML/CFT/CPF), with 100 members of its Mutual Evaluation Working Groups undergoing specialised capacity-building training in Abuja.
The five-day programme, running from October 12 to 16, 2026, is facilitated by the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), with support from SecFIN Africa at Nigeria’s request. It is aimed at strengthening participants’ understanding of the assessment methodology and preparing them for the national Mock Mutual Evaluation Exercise scheduled for November 2026.
According to an official statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Hafsat Abubakar Bakari, the initiative is designed to ensure that Nigeria can demonstrate the effectiveness of its laws, policies and institutional frameworks in combating financial crimes.
Bakari said the programme builds on Nigeria’s successful exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List in October 2025, adding that the country remained committed to strengthening the integrity of its financial system.
“Nigeria must be ready to not only explain its laws, policies and institutional arrangements, but also to demonstrate the results they deliver,” she said.
Representing the Director General of GIABA, the organisation’s Director of Evaluations and Compliance, Giwa Siman Sechap, said the mutual evaluation process required collective national responsibility, effective institutional coordination and credible evidence of implementation.
He noted that the training would help participants develop the knowledge and practical readiness needed to present an accurate, evidence-based account of Nigeria’s efforts to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.
Similarly, SecFIN Africa’s Country Representative, Professor Shehu Abdullahi, stressed the importance of sustained capacity development and collaboration among relevant institutions, noting that effective preparation required reliable information-sharing and collective ownership of national priorities.
The training brings together representatives of key government agencies and regulatory institutions responsible for financial intelligence, regulatory supervision, suspicious transaction reporting, investigations, prosecutions, asset recovery, border control and national security.
Participating institutions include the Central Bank of Nigeria, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Department of State Services, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Federal Ministry of Justice, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Revenue Service and Securities and Exchange Commission.
Others are the Defence Intelligence Agency, Corporate Affairs Commission, Bureau of Public Procurement, Code of Conduct Bureau, National Counter Terrorism Centre, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, National Insurance Commission and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, among other relevant institutions.
The NFIU disclosed that Nigeria had increased its pool of accredited global experts on FATF Standards from fewer than 10 to 25 over the past two years.
It said the current exercise forms part of a broader capacity-building plan, with additional training cohorts of between 100 and 150 participants envisaged quarterly. The initiative may also be extended to the private sector in the future.
The programme covers financial intelligence, regulatory supervision, virtual assets, beneficial ownership transparency, investigations and prosecutions, asset confiscation, international cooperation, targeted financial sanctions and proliferation financing risks.
Participants will also engage in practical exercises and simulated assessment interviews to prepare them to respond to evaluators’ questions with accurate information and verifiable evidence.
The exercise builds on a national stocktake and gap analysis coordinated by the NFIU through the Inter-Ministerial Committee, with support from the EFCC, DSS, ICPC, CBN, National Insurance Commission and SEC.
The assessment is intended to evaluate the implementation of Nigeria’s AML/CFT/CPF framework, identify areas of progress and outstanding gaps, and establish priorities for corrective action ahead of the forthcoming evaluation.
Bakari said the ultimate objective was to translate inter-agency collaboration into measurable improvements in the country’s capacity to detect and disrupt financial crimes.
“The real value of this exercise lies in the improvements it helps us deliver. By bringing our institutions together around evidence, shared responsibilities and measurable results, we can build a stronger and more effective system for detecting and disrupting financial crime,” she added.
The initiative forms part of Nigeria’s broader efforts to strengthen institutional capacity, improve inter-agency coordination and demonstrate sustained progress in combating financial crimes ahead of its next mutual evaluation.
