Speaking at the opening of the 47th Meeting of the Task Force of the Anti-Money Laundering Group for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAAMLG), in Lubango, Huíla province, the Minister of State for Economic Coordination, José de Lima Massano, stated that Angola will continue to make efforts to update and guarantee legislation in line with international standards, to guarantee effectiveness in its implementation.
José Massano stated that only with concerted actions is it possible to effectively combat money laundering, terrorist financing and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, which is why the role and coordinating mission of ESAAMLG is increasingly relevant.
"It is essential that all countries cooperate in the fight against these crimes and also ensure the application of international standards internally, in order to prevent criminal actions from exploiting vulnerabilities that may exist in the national legislative and regulatory framework and its implementation", said José de Lima Massano, quoted by Angop.
According to the minister, in Africa, different regions show different trends, but, overall, the scenario is still worrying, looking at the list of jurisdictions under reinforced monitoring, published by the International Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the February 23 of this year, with 12 of the 21 countries listed on the continent.
"An environment with inadequate controls will be more easily used for illicit activities, such as drug and human trafficking, as well as other illicit activities and trade, the diversion of public funds, with consequences of conditioning and driving away foreign trade, public and private investment, which harms economic growth and social well-being", he stated.
The meeting, which has the participation of more than 800 delegates from ESAAMLG member countries and representatives of Nations and Cooperation and Support Organizations, is expected to deliberate on issues related to efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing in the region.
At the event, which runs until Friday, the exchange of information on best practices will be discussed and the mutual evaluation report of the second round in the Republic of Rwanda will be approved, as well as the analysis of that country's efforts to combat laundering of money and terrorist financing, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
The meeting will also analyze Angola's first progress report, as part of a monitoring process that serves as an essential instrument to monitor the implementation of the recommendations presented in its mutual evaluation report.
The ESAAMLG, created in 1999, is an intergovernmental body of the group of countries in Southern and Eastern Africa, which aims to develop and promote policies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
