A consultative meeting joint organized by the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC) and the Intergovernmental Action Group against money laundering in West Africa (GIABA), is currently being held in Accra to enable the mapping out a global framework for the incorporation of the gender and youth dimension in the fight against financial crime.

The program which is also aimed at bringing together key stakeholders in the ECOWAS Member States to share knowledge, experiences and best practices is a three-day forum expected to embody deliberations on how to control organized crimes in Africa.

Mr. Brian Anku Sapati, Deputy Director General of GIABA noted that some money launderers use advanced means to reintroduce the unlawfully attained proceeds back into the market as ‘clean’ money.

He added that “members of organized criminal groups and terrorist organization are mobile and often seek to evade detection, arrest and punishment by operating across international border”. He then indicated that “the outcome of the three-day forum, from August 28th to 30th, will form a solid foundation for the control of transnational organized crimes in the region”.

He also noted that, in Ghana, to mitigate the incidence of financial and cross border crimes, the country has institutions and legal framework to address the menace such as Narcotic Control Board, Anti Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service and the Human Trafficking Unit under the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection.

Mrs Sandra Oulate Fattoh Elleingand, Director of ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC) in view of this said women and young people are the most vulnerable people affected by financial crimes and related issues, “because, they were out of school and unemployed.”

She added that “this phenomenon has serious implications for human security, economic growth and development, political stability, and respect for the rule of law and human rights. That’s the reason why GIABA and ECOWAS Gender Centre have committed to work in synergy in order to support the Member States to develop the necessary architecture for the prevention and control of money laundering, financing of terrorism and criminal activities, within the framework of gender mainstreaming and women and youth empowerment.”

Deputy Minister for gender children and social protection, Gifty Twum Ampofo, was present at the opening of the consultative meeting.

Honorable Ampofo, on how to making this project a success, said that, “to address the issue in all-inclusive manner, ECOWAS Member States need to critically address the disparities in gender and high rate of youth unemployment and also to further invest quality education in order to produce the right set of people for development”.