Uganda Reaffirms Fight Against Money Laundering At Esaamlg Senior Officials Meeting
The
Inspectorate of Government (IG) is participating in the 52nd Task Force of
Senior Officials Meeting of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money
Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) being held at the Kigali Serena Hotel in Kigali,
Rwanda, from 30th August to 5th September 2026.
The
meeting, hosted by the Government of Rwanda, is being held under the theme
“From Technical Compliance to Demonstrable Outcomes: Strengthening Effective
AML/CFT/CPF Systems in Eastern and Southern Africa.” It brings together senior
government officials and experts from legal, financial and law enforcement
institutions across the region to deliberate on emerging challenges and
strengthen regional efforts to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and
proliferation financing (AML/CFT/CPF).
Uganda’s
delegation comprises members of the National Anti-Money Laundering/Countering
Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Task Force, with the Inspectorate of
Government represented by Dr. Ernest Katwesigye, Assistant Director – Asset
Recovery.
ESAAMLG
is a regional body established to support the implementation of the 40
Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and strengthen
measures against money laundering, terrorist financing and illicit financial
flows among its 22 member countries.
The
Senior Officials Task Force meets twice a year and provides a platform for
member countries to review progress in implementing the FATF Standards,
consider mutual evaluation reports, examine money laundering and terrorist
financing typologies, identify technical assistance and training needs, and
deliberate on emerging threats. The Task Force also makes technical recommendations
to the ESAAMLG Council for consideration and approval.
Uganda
was removed from the FATF grey list in 2024 after demonstrating significant
progress in strengthening its AML/CFT framework and addressing identified
deficiencies. The country is expected to undergo its third FATF/ESAAMLG Mutual
Assessment in 2028. Unlike the previous which focused on technical compliance,
this assessment will focus on Effectiveness, making sustained implementation
and demonstration of effective outcomes critical. For the IG, this implies a
focus on increased Money Laundering Investigations, Prosecutions, Asset Tracing
and Recovery.
Uganda’s
continued participation in ESAAMLG processes is therefore important in
consolidating the gains made and ensuring that the country remains on course to
meet international AML/CFT standards ahead of the 2028 assessment