The Esaamlg

Who We Are

Get to know us

The Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) is a Regional Body subscribing to global standards to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism and proliferation. Its 22 Member Countries are Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democrat Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa,South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe and includes a number of regional and international observers such as Commonwealth Secretariat, East African Community, FATF, IMF, SADC, United Kingdom, United States of America, UNODC,World Bank and World Customs Organization. The United Kingdom and United States of America have been cooperating and supporting nations of the organization since it was established in 1999.


What We Do

"Dedicated to safeguarding the financial integrity of Eastern and Southern Africa by fostering regional cooperation and implementing robust global compliance standards."

Our work

The Purpose of The Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) is to combat money laundering by implementing the FATF Recommendations. This effort includes coordinating with other international organisations concerned with combating money laundering, studying emerging regional typologies, developing institutional and human resource capacities to deal with these issues, and coordinating technical assistance where necessary. ESAAMLG enables regional factors to be taken into account in the implementation of anti-money laundering measures.

Our Mission and Vision

"Dedicated to safeguarding the financial integrity of Eastern and Southern Africa by fostering regional cooperation and implementing robust global compliance standards."

Mission

To consolidate and sustain combined regional efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing through effective implementation of AML/CFT international standards across all ESAAMLG member countries.

Vision

To be a strong and dynamic FATF-Style Regional Body committed to preventing and combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation threats across the Eastern and Southern Africa Region.

Strategic Objectives

  • Sustaining effective Post Evaluation Implementation of AML/CFT measures in member countries under the first round of assessments.
  • Sustaining the second round of assessments and monitoring of ESAAMLG members' technical compliance with the FATF Recommendations and the Effectiveness of their AML/CFT systems.
  • Increase and sustain the knowledge of money laundering and terrorist financing trends and techniques in the region in order to effectively contribute to regional and international AML/CFT policy formulation.
  • Expansion of ESAAMLG membership and increase the visibility of ESAAMLG in the Region.
  • Enhancing ESAAMLG's cooperation and participation in AML/CFT regional and international initiatives.
  • Prioritizing and consolidating regional AML/CFT capacity building, particularly for assessing ML/TF risks and adopting risk based approach to implementation of AML/CFT Standards.
  • Promoting the Implementation of risk-based AML/CFT measures which support implementation of financial inclusion initiatives.
  • Consolidating the sustainability and efficiency of ESAAMLG and its Secretariat through implementing the recommendations of the Efficiency Scrutiny Working Group approved by the Council in August 2015.

Our History

ESAAMLG was launched at a Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Representatives in Arusha, Tanzania, On 26-27 August 1999. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) based on the experience of the FATF and other FATF Style Regional Bodies (FSRBs) was agreed to at that meeting. Following the signing of the MoU by seven of the potential members, ESAAMLG came into formal existence.

The MoU was further amended in different meetings including the Ministerial Council meetings in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, September 2016 and Mahe, Seychelles, September 2018. ESAAMLG held its first meeting on 21 April 2000 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. ESAAMLG currently has 18 member countries. The Democrat Republic of Congo is a regional observer member of the organization. 
Organizational Structure

The following diagram provides the basic governance structure of the ESAAMLG which has been put in place to ensure smooth operation:

Hon. MURANGWA YUSUF

President

The Presidency

The Presidency for ESAAMLG Council of Ministers for the Year 2025/2026 is: RWANDA represented by:-
Hon. MURANGWA Yusuf
Minister of Finance and Economic Planning,  
President of ESAAMLG Council of Ministers.
KIGALI,
RWANDA.

EMAIL:yusuf.murangwa@minecofin.gov.rw

Ms GASHUMBA JEANNE PAULINE

Chairperson

Director General. Financial Intelligence Centre,

The Chairperson

The Chairperson of the ESAAMLG Task Force of Senior Officials is:
Ms GASHUMBA Jeanne Pauline.  
Director General.
Financial Intelligence Centre,
EMAIL: jp.gashumba@fic.gov.rw
KIGALI,
RWANDA

Ms. Fikile P. Zitha.

Executive Secretary

Executive Secretary of ESAAMLG Secretariat

The Secretariat

The ESAAMLG Secretariat performs technical and administrative functions under the direction of the Executive Secretary who is responsible for leading the Secretariat, coordinating and delivering the work of the ESAAMLG on ant-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction measures.
The Executive Secretary of ESAAMLG Secretariat is Ms. Fikile P. Zitha.