The Ivory Coast’s Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget, Adama Coulibaly, today presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the handover of the brand-new GIABA Information Centre in Cocody, Abidjan. The ceremony signals the official launch of a facility that will serve as a regional nerve-centre for disrupting illicit financial flows across francophone and lusophone West Africa.
The brand-new headquarters was provided by the Ivorian government under the terms of the Host Country Agreement, fulfilling a long-standing pledge to bolster cooperative action against money laundering and terrorist financing.
The decision to establish the Abidjan centre dates back to a November 2010 resolution passed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) during its 65th ordinary session in Abuja. That resolution envisaged two information centres: one in Lagos for anglophone member states and a second in Abidjan dedicated to francophone and Portuguese-speaking countries.
The first Abidjan centre opened its doors on 21 September 2015, following the signature of the Host Country Agreement between Côte d’Ivoire and GIABA on 29 March 2014, during the 44th ECOWAS Summit in Yamoussoukro.
Strengthening regional defences against evolving threats
Addressing the audience, Minister Coulibaly highlighted how money-laundering and terrorism-financing networks are rapidly mutating, weaving new digital pathways and inventive structures that transcend national borders. “No single country can confront these challenges alone,” he stressed. “Only through pooled intelligence, shared expertise and coordinated enforcement can we mount an effective regional defence.”
Coulibaly described the new centre as a flagship platform for awareness-raising, capacity-building, research, documentation and communication, designed to serve every ECOWAS member state. He urged all stakeholders—government agencies, financial institutions, civil-society groups and academic partners—to treat the facility as a permanent resource for excellence in anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing efforts.
GIABA chief looks ahead to next chapter
Edwin W. Harris Jr., Director-General of GIABA, recalled that since 2015 the Abidjan centre has already orchestrated open-house events for students, public conferences, regional public-speaking contests, and tailored training seminars for journalists, faith leaders and civil-society organisations. It has also supported mutual-evaluation processes that assess national compliance with international standards.
With the expanded premises now operational, Harris underlined the centre’s ambition to become a hub of knowledge, innovation and cooperation for francophone and Portuguese-speaking ECOWAS members. “This investment will empower our administrations, financial institutions and academic partners to stay one step ahead of illicit finance,” he said.
Harris called on public administrations, competent authorities, regulated professions, universities, research institutes, media outlets, civil-society groups and technical partners to make full use of the new facilities through participation in upcoming training sessions, conferences and collaborative initiatives. He placed special emphasis on engaging young people—students, researchers and early-career professionals—so that the centre can nurture a new generation committed to integrity, good governance and sustainable economic growth.
Cutting-edge training for a wide audience
A centrepiece of the enlarged complex is a Computer-Based Training (CBT) suite. The CBT platform will deliver customised modules to authorities, financial institutions, reporting entities, magistrates, investigators, academics and other key actors in the anti-money-laundering chain. Participants can earn certificates on completion, enhancing regional professionalisation and deepening collective expertise in combating illicit financial flows.
The inauguration arrives just days before Harris’s mandate expires on 31 August 2026. In marking the transition, the new facility stands as a lasting legacy: a durable instrument for strengthening cooperation, information-sharing and skills development across West Africa in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.
