ECOWAS member states have begun implementing a regional anti-corruption protocol aimed at strengthening cross-border investigations, intelligence sharing and asset recovery across West Africa.
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, disclosed this on Tuesday during the maiden edition of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) Leadership Conference in Abuja.
Olukoyede said the protocol, adopted during the network’s Annual General Assembly in October last year, has moved from policy to implementation.
According to him, the framework enables member countries to exchange intelligence, conduct joint investigations and provide mutual assistance in tracing illicit financial flows and recovering stolen assets.
“We have begun to operationalise that protocol. It allows for exchange of information, cross-border investigation and cross-border support,” he said.
He added that the arrangement has already produced positive results, with anti-corruption agencies sharing intelligence and assisting one another in tracking illicit funds and recovering assets.
Olukoyede explained that the leadership conference was organised to implement resolutions adopted at last year’s Annual General Assembly and strengthen regional cooperation against corruption.
He said Nigeria is leading the initiative because of its current role as president of NACIWA and its strategic position within the ECOWAS region.
The EFCC chairman stressed that stronger collaboration has become necessary because criminal networks now operate across borders, while illicit funds can be transferred rapidly through digital platforms.
He also highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in anti-corruption efforts, saying the technology offers opportunities for intelligence gathering, fraud detection and risk assessment but also presents governance and ethical challenges.
“Our institutions cannot confront twenty-first-century corruption with twentieth-century structures, processes and assumptions,” he said.
Also speaking, Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Francis Ben Kaifala, said the conference would improve cooperation through the exchange of best practices and coordinated investigations.
Ghana’s representative from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Theophilus Tetteh Cio, also called for stronger regional collaboration, noting that corruption increasingly transcends national borders.
The conference is expected to deepen cooperation among anti-corruption institutions in tackling illicit financial flows, terrorism financing and other forms of transnational financial crime across West Africa.
