According to the Bank’s website, the overarching goal of the project is to strengthen the capacities of the selected countries in transition to fight money laundering, terrorism financing and illicit financial flows (ML/TF & IFFs). This will promote financial integrity and transparency which are key in reducing resource leakages and promoting DRM and economic growth. The project comprises three (3) components : (i) Support of national ML/TF risk assessments, AML/CFT strategies and Mutual Evaluations ; (ii) AML/CFT Institutional Capacity Building ; and (iii) Project Management. In tandem, the three components would ultimately contribute to enhanced financial integrity and transparency.

The Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) is a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Style Regional Body (FSRB) established in 1999. It currently consists of 21 member countries and one observer member. Its main objective is to promote and assess the effective implementation of anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) and proliferation financing standards within its member countries’ jurisdictions in line with the FATF international standards. This Project will address fragility drivers and support the implementation of the resilience strategies in the selected transition countries. The Bank has provided similar support to ten GIABA member countries under the Capacity Development Project on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism in West Africa Transition States and in South Sudan under the Institution Support Project for Strengthening Economic Governance in South Sudan (ISP-SEG). Therefore, this operation will complement these previous Bank efforts, especially that of South Sudan. Moreover, due to competing priorities in these countries such as food security, water, infrastructure, energy, ML/TF & IFF issues are usually not prioritized when allocating budgetary resources even though they are recognized as important. High levels of fragility have seen limited participation from other TA providers in these countries. The Bank’s intervention will create regional synergies and provide a response to AML/CFT challenges in the targeted countries including the financial, human and technical capacity necessary to support the countries in developing and building more efficient and effective AML/CFT and CIFF regimes.

Environmental Category: [3] Low Risk

According to the Appraisal Report, in compliance with in-country environmental assessment systems, legal and institutional frameworks and the Bank’s Integrated Safeguards Systems Operational Safeguards (ISS, OS) that are the key determinants of the project’s E&S categorization, the Regional Capacity Development Project for Eastern and Southern Africa Anti Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) on AML/CFT is categorized as low risk: Category 3.

There are no anticipated E&S risks associated with implementation of the project. By their nature, the project components and planned activities have no direct impacts or influence on the prevailing biophysical and socioeconomic conditions in the targeted countries.

Finance Type: Standard grant
Commitments (UA): 4,000,000
Conversion Rate USD (2025-07-01): 1,33412
Total Project Cost (UA): 4,000,000

Name: Fenwick Dingiswayo KAMANGA
Email: f.kamanga@afdb.org

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.afdb.org/en/disclosure-and-access-to-information/request-for-documents. Under the AfDBÕs Disclosure and Access to Information policy, if you feel the Bank has omitted to publish information or your request for information is unreasonably denied, you can file an appeal at https://www.afdb.org/en/disclosure-and-access-to-information/appeals-process.

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF AfDB

The Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), which is administered by the Compliance Review and Mediation Unit (CRMU), is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who have been or are likely to be adversely affected by an African Development Bank (AfDB)-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the IRM, it may assist you by either seeking to address your problems by facilitating a dispute resolution dialogue between you and those implementing the project and/or investigating whether the AfDB complied with its policies to prevent environmental and social harms. You can submit a complaint electronically by emailing crmuinfo@afdb.org, b.kargougou@afdb.org, b.fall@afdb.org, and/or s.toure@afdb.org. You can learn more about the IRM and how to file a complaint at: https://www.afdb.org/en/independent-review-mechanism/