Nigeria Trains 100 Officers Ahead of Global Anti-Money Laundering, Terror Financing Assessment

Nigeria has commenced a five-day training programme for 100 officers drawn from key government institutions as the country intensifies preparations for its third-round evaluation on anti-money laundering, counter-financing of terrorism and counter-proliferation financing (AML/CFT/CPF).

The training, facilitated by the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), with support from SecFIN Africa at Nigeria’s request, is holding in Abuja from October 12 to 16, 2026.

The programme is designed to strengthen participants’ understanding of the assessment methodology and prepare them for Nigeria’s national Mock Mutual Evaluation Exercise scheduled for November 2026.

Speaking at the opening, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Hafsat Abubakar Bakari, said the country must demonstrate not only the strength of its legal and institutional frameworks but also their effectiveness in combating financial crimes.

Bakari said the workshop builds on Nigeria’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List in October 2025 and reflects the government’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the financial system.

She stressed that Nigeria must be prepared to provide verifiable evidence of the implementation and impact of its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures.

Representing the Director General of GIABA, Giwa Siman Sechap, Director of Evaluations and Compliance at the GIABA Secretariat, said mutual evaluation was a collective national responsibility requiring effective coordination among government institutions.

He noted that countries undergoing the assessment must demonstrate tangible results beyond technical compliance with international standards.

According to him, the training would strengthen institutional knowledge, improve coordination and equip participants to provide credible, evidence-based accounts of Nigeria’s efforts to combat financial crimes.

Professor Shehu Abdullahi, SecFIN Africa’s Country Representative, also emphasised the importance of sustained capacity development and cooperation among relevant institutions.

He said effective preparation depended on institutions sharing reliable information, identifying weaknesses and taking collective responsibility for national priorities.

The training brings together representatives of several agencies, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Department of State Services (DSS), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Other participating institutions include the Federal Ministry of Justice, Corporate Affairs Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, National Insurance Commission, Code of Conduct Bureau, Nigerian Revenue Service and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, among others.

Their responsibilities cover financial intelligence, regulatory supervision, suspicious transaction reporting, criminal investigations, prosecutions, asset recovery, border control, beneficial ownership transparency and national security.

Organisers said effective collaboration among the agencies would be essential to demonstrating that Nigeria’s financial integrity framework produces measurable results.

The country has also expanded its pool of accredited global experts on FATF standards from fewer than 10 to 25 over the past two years, according to the programme information.

The current training forms part of a broader capacity-building plan that envisages additional quarterly training cohorts of between 100 and 150 participants, with a possible future extension to private-sector institutions.

Participants will receive training on financial intelligence, regulatory supervision, virtual assets, beneficial ownership, investigations and prosecutions, asset confiscation, international cooperation, targeted financial sanctions and proliferation financing risks.

Practical exercises and simulated assessment interviews will also be conducted to prepare officers to respond to evaluators’ questions with accurate information and verifiable evidence.

The programme builds on a national stocktake and gap analysis coordinated by the NFIU, with support from the EFCC, DSS, ICPC, CBN and NAICOM, alongside the SEC, through the Inter-Ministerial Committee.

The exercise is intended to assess implementation across relevant institutions, identify existing strengths and outstanding gaps, and establish priorities for corrective action ahead of the evaluation.

Bakari said the ultimate objective was to translate inter-agency collaboration into measurable improvements in the detection and disruption of financial crimes.

The initiative forms part of Nigeria’s broader efforts to strengthen institutional capacity and demonstrate sustained progress in combating money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing ahead of its forthcoming international assessment.