Rights advocacy initiative, Spaces for Change, has congratulated the Federal Republic of Nigeria on its successful exit from the Financial Action Task Force grey list, describing the milestone as a major step forward for the non-profit sector and civic freedoms in the country.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, which was made available to The PUNCH on Tuesday.
The announcement of Nigeria’s delisting was made during the FATF plenary session held in Paris, France, last week. Nigeria was removed from the grey list alongside Burkina Faso, South Africa, and Mozambique.
According to S4C, delisting from the FATF grey list means that these countries “have successfully addressed the identified deficiencies in their anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism frameworks and improved the integrity of their financial systems within the agreed timeframes, monitored and reviewed by the International Co-operation Review Group.”
Spaces for Change noted that before Nigeria and Burkina Faso’s exit, the organisation had been working in both countries to ensure the effective implementation of FATF recommendations, particularly as they relate to the non-profit sector.
“Over the years, S4C’s advocacy focused on providing capacity-building support to non-profit organisations, key agencies, and regulators conducting national terrorism financing risk assessments, thereby strengthening their implementation of FATF Recommendation 8,” the statement read.
“Other initiatives include conducting targeted outreaches, facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues, and delivering technical assistance to key agencies to implement key reform measures and programmes towards combating money laundering and mitigating terrorism financing abuse in the non-profit sector.”
Spaces for Change recalled that in 2022, “Nigeria also took steps to remove non-profits from the list of obliged reporting entities and also reformed national AML/CFT frameworks, removing non-profits from the list of designated non-financial professions and businesses.”
Following these reforms, the organisation said it was pleased to see Nigeria’s improved compliance record. “After these efforts, we are happy to witness the country’s positive compliance rating, specifically Nigeria becoming the only West African country to secure a Fully Compliant rating on FATF Recommendation 8. Nigeria’s current delisting from the FATF grey list reinforces past progress and successes, demonstrating the country’s commitment to technical compliance and operational effectiveness.”
Spaces for Change added that Nigeria’s delisting will “eventually translate into a less restrictive environment for charities and investors.”
“We congratulate the Federal Republic of Nigeria and, by extension, the Burkinabe authorities on this new milestone, which will eventually translate into a less restrictive environment for charities and investors,” the organisation stated. “Spaces for Change remains committed to its institutional mandate of working to ensure that the implementation of countermeasures across the subregion does not limit civil society or restrict civic freedoms.”
