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KEY OUTCOMES OF THE 49TH ESAAMLG TASK FORCE OF SENIOR OFFICIAL’S MEETINGS.
The ESAAMLG concluded its 49th Task Force of Senior Officials Meetings under the Ethiopian Presidency. The meetings were held in Kampala, Uganda, from 28 March to 4 April 2025
During this period, the Task Force held its Plenary preceded by the meetings of its Working Groups and Committees, including the Review Groups for Monitoring the Post-Evaluation Implementation, the Evaluations and Compliance Group, the Risk, Trends and Methods Group, the Budget, Finance and Audit Committee, the Technical Assistance and Training Coordination Forum, the Heads of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), the FIU Forum, the Heads of Analysis, the Working Group on Risk, Compliance and Financial Inclusion, and the joint session of ESAAMLG Heads of Delegation and the Steering Committee.
More than 500 delegates from the ESAAMLG member countries, including delegates from the Cooperating and Supporting Nations and Organisations (COSUNs) attended the meetings. The main outcomes of the meetings include:
The discussion and adoption of: the Eritrea Mutual Evaluation Report (MER) which marked the end of the ESAAMLG 2nd Round of Mutual Evaluations; the 3rd Round ESAAMLG Mutual Evaluations (ME) Procedures and Follow-Up Processes revised to ensure consistency with the recent changes made by the FATF to the Universal Procedures, FATF Standards and FATF Methodology; and the ESAAMLG Communication Rules and Procedures.
The approval of Follow-Up Reports (FURs) with Requests for Re-rating of Angola, Madagascar, Mozambique and Namibia.
Noting that Tanzania has substantially completed its ICRG action plan and awaits on-site visit by the FATF Africa Joint Group.
The Mutual Evaluation Report (MER) of Eritrea, along with the associated Mutual Evaluation Procedures and Follow-Up processes, will be approved by the ESAAMLG Council of Ministers through a round robin process. These documents will be published on the ESAAMLG website once they have passed through the Global Quality and Consistency Review.
The ESAAMLG Communication Rules and Procedures will also undergo approval by the Council of Ministers through a round robin process and will be made available on the ESAAMLG website. Additionally, the Follow-Up Reports (FURs) with requests for re-rating submitted by Angola, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Namibia will be published on the ESAAMLG website in due course.
Other outcomes of the meetings included comprehensive discussions on membership-related matters. The meetings also addressed ways to improve the operational efficiency and coordination of ESAAMLG meetings. Additionally, participants explored strategies to strengthen ESAAMLG’s presence and influence within the global AML/CFT network. The discussions further highlighted best practices in promoting financial inclusion, emphasizing the importance of balancing access to formal financial systems with effective mechanisms established in the fight against financial crimes.
The ESAAMLG would like to express its gratitude to the Republic of Uganda for hosting the 49th Task Force meetings. The next Task Force and Council of Ministers meetings will be held in August/September 2025 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
