The 45th Plenary Meeting of the Technical Commission of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) opened on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan, in the presence of Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Urban Planning, Housing and Living Environment, Moussa Sanogo.

This meeting, which brings together the Chairs of National Committees for the Fight against Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF), provides an opportunity for member states to share experiences on the challenges they face in implementing effective measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

The Plenary will include the review of follow-up reports from some member states as part of the second round of mutual evaluations. The 45th GIABA Plenary takes place at a time when Côte d’Ivoire, listed under enhanced monitoring by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), is implementing several measures to complete its action plan in order to exit this list as quickly as possible.

The Plenary is a statutory meeting of GIABA, allowing discussions on building a secure economic system for the region, and is an integral part of GIABA’s efforts to promote regional integration within the ECOWAS space.

GIABA, in its dual role as a specialized ECOWAS institution and a FATF-style regional body (FSRB), organizes two Technical Commission/Plenary meetings each year for representatives of member states to discuss key issues requiring coordinated and harmonized approaches.

GIABA remains the main regional mechanism for coordinating the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing in West Africa.

Through mutual evaluations, technical assistance programs, typology studies, and regional and international cooperation initiatives, GIABA continues to play a strategic role in promoting financial integrity, economic stability, regional security, and good governance within the ECOWAS region.