Newly-elected President of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa, NACIWA, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, has promised to strengthen international cooperation and coordination among West African Countries in combating corruption and illicit financial flow.
Bawa, who also doubles as Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said this on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, while giving his closing remarks at the just concluded NACIWA General Assembly held in Abuja.
He said, “The ECOWAS sub- region is threatened by existential security challenges which may not be unrelated directly or indirectly to corruption. We must therefore intensify efforts to stem the spate of illicit financial flows within the sub- region including illicit flows by Politically Exposed Persons( PEPs).
“We must also continue to amplify effective collaboration and intelligence sharing in our quest to rid the sub- region of financial crimes while collectively addressing the security challenges prevalent in the sub- region".
NACIWA, which draws its members from the 16- nation members of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, is holding a two- day meeting co- hosted by EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, in Abuja. At the meeting, Bawa was unanimously elected as the President of the Network to succeed the outgone President, Francis Ben Kaifala, Head of Sierra- Leone Anti- Corruption Agency, whose three- year tenure ends March 31, 2022.