West African Journalists on fighting Money Laundering
By William Selmah/WADR News in Banjul
Anglophone West African journalists have called for deeper collaboration in the sub-region in creating the needed awareness to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
In a communiqué adopted at the end of a sensitization seminar on money laundering and terrorist financing which took place in Banjul, The Gambia on June 28-29 the journalists committed themselves to working with other organizations and stakeholders in their respective countries to enhance the fight against money laundering.
The seminar was held under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).
They also called for capacity activities such as training to broaden the understanding of journalists on money laundering and terrorist financing issues.
Speaking earlier during the seminar, Gambia’s Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Abdou Colley pledged his country’s unflinching commitment to the fight against all forms of economic crimes and terrorist financing.
He said the latest manifestation of such commitment is the enactment of a law criminalizing money laundering and terrorist financing.
”It is an open secret that developing countries are constant targets and conduits for money laundering and terrorism funding, Despite all efforts and resources to combat this menace, we are, unfortunately, disproportionately at risk due to poor capacity and inadequate resources (human and institutional)to deal with the problem”, Minister Colley told participants at the meeting.
The fight against economic and financial crimes, he noted, was a tough task that requires concerted, coordinated, cooperative and collaborative efforts by all stakeholders.
The Gambian Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs expressed optimism that the training will go a long way in tackling economic crimes in West Africa.
A total of 43 journalists from the five Anglophone ECOWAS member States, covering print, electronic and online media, including State-owned media organizations participated in the 2-day seminar.
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