PRESS RELEASE
The Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA), in partnership with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of Nigeria, the Inter-Agency Committee on Stopping Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) from Nigeria, and the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC), will on 18 and 19 May 2021 hold an international conference on Illicit Financial Flows and Asset Recovery at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, and virtually via Zoom.
Participants in the conference will include high-level financial regulatory and related experts from public and private sector institutions, civil society organizations, academia, and the media from within and outside Africa.
Dr (Mrs) Zainab Ahmed, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, will open the conference. Other dignitaries expected include Mr Abubakar Malami, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice; Geoffrey Onyema, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, African Union Commission.
The conference is being organized in part fulfilment of CoDA’s mandate to support identification and discussion of pertinent issues relating to Africa’s development within a global context through dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders.
The international conference will deliberate on four broad themes: international asset recovery – milestones and challenges; illicit financial flows and the development dilemma; common African position on asset recovery; and financing sustainable development by stemming IFFs – the FACTI Panel report in perspective.
The sessions will feature presentations and discussions led by notable personalities, including Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, Senior Adviser to the President of Nigeria on Justice Sector Reform; Suraj Olanrewaju, Chairman, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, Nigeria; Thom Townsend, Executive Director, Open Ownership; Hon. Louis Andriamifidy, Chairman, African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption; Francis Ben Kaifala, Commissioner, Anti-Corruption Commission, Republic of Sierra Leone; Prof. Melvin Ayogu, Project IFFs Consultant; Hon. Irene Ovonji-Odida, member of the United Nations High Level Panel on IFF, FACTI Panel; Souad Aden-Osman, Executive Director of CoDA; Don Deya, Chief Executive Officer of Pan African Lawyers Union; and Alvin Mosioma, Executive Director, Tax Justice Network Africa.
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About CoDA
The Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA) is an independent, international, Africa-owned forum which identifies and discusses issues related to Africa’s development in a global context. CoDA is a special, but independent, initiative of the African Union, African Development Bank, African Export Import Bank, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, which promotes open, direct and inclusive dialogue that furthers the work of the four institutions, with a view to giving Africa a greater voice on issues relating to peace, security, governance and development. It is a platform for dialogues and debates that bring together various actors into African Union intergovernmental conversations in a structured manner. CoDA is headquartered within the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is governed by a Board of eminent African and non-African personalities. Learn more at https://codafrica.org/gallery/.
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About ICPC
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency established in 2000 to prohibit, investigate, prosecute, and prescribe punishment for corrupt practices and other related offences in the country. The Commission examines the practices, systems and procedures of public institutions; instructs, advises and assists officers, agencies, or parastatals on how to eliminate or minimize fraud or corruption; educates the public on and against bribery, corruption and related offences; and enlists and fosters public support in combating corruption. Learn more at: https://icpc.gov.ng/
For more information, please contact:
CoDA: Oladipo Johnson, johnsonol@africa-union.org
ICPC: Azuka Ogugua, azuka.ogugu@icpc.gov.ng
