Religious leaders and institutions in the country are expected to participate in a two-day national sensitisation workshop on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) requirements.
Scheduled to take place from October 21 to 22 in Accra, the objective of the seminar, which is being organised by ECOWAS’ Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), is to raise awareness among religious leaders about their role within the AML/CFT framework—particularly the mandate of GIABA—and to agree on actionable measures to promote peaceful co-existence and strengthen national efforts against money laundering and terrorist financing.
A statement issued by GIABA mentioned that the broad themes for the training would include the role of religious leaders in preventing money laundering and terrorism financing; risks and vulnerabilities associated with religious organisations; the use of religious institutions as tools for promoting peaceful co-existence; the risk of terrorist abuse in non-profit organisations; and promoting tolerance while preventing violent extremism.
Explaining the importance of the training, the statement said the involvement of religious leaders was vital in making the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing both legitimate and effective. It noted that religious faith appealed to people on emotional levels, enabling attitudinal change and giving voice to a wide range of community concerns.
GIABA, the statement said, recognised the valuable contribution of religious leaders as guardians of faith, whose institutions hold tremendous influence among their followers.
“In using persuasion as a strategy, religious leaders need to understand the specific contributions they can and must make to overcome the menace of money laundering and the scourge of terrorist financing, thereby transforming public understanding, attitudes and standards,” the statement said.
It stressed that the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing was a collective responsibility of all stakeholders to protect national economies and financial systems from the laundering of proceeds of crime.
Fundamentally, it added, one of GIABA’s core strategic goals was to promote partnerships with the private sector, civil society and other key stakeholders aimed at increasing awareness of money laundering and terrorist financing, thereby empowering citizens to take preventive action.
The statement further noted that in recognising the role of religious leaders in preventing violent extremism (PVE) and promoting the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue, the United Nations Secretary-General, in his Plan of Action on PVE, underscored the importance of faith and community leaders mentoring vulnerable followers to help them reject violent ideologies and promote tolerance, understanding and reconciliation among communities.
