Regional: Operational Financial Analysis and Risk Assessment: Advanced Course, 05-09/07/21

What: Regional Training on Operational Financial Analysis and Risk Assessment: Advanced Course

Where: Virtual (online)

When: 05-09 July 2021

Who: 37 participants including financial analysts, law enforcement officers and others drawn from 13 countries of the Greater Horn and southern Africa region and from ESAAMLG Secretariat

Context

Effective financial analysis and investigation are vital tools in producing actionable intelligence to identify and disrupt criminal networks and their financial operations, and as source of evidence to effectively prosecute perpetrators. Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are required to have the necessary capabilities (skills, tools and systems) to manage financial intelligence analysis. This includes planning, collection, analysis, evaluation and dissemination and further follow up and support the process of investigation. Financial analysis provides key analytical products that contribute to risk assessment, helping to guide strategic and operational interventions. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendation 29 and immediate outcome 6 describes that financial analysis and dissemination is a defining role of FIUs that contributes to effective investigations and prosecutions. Particularly operational analysis is a central function of a FIU and an imperative element of financial investigations.

The project has already trained 54 financial analysts and managers drawn from 14 countries of the Greater Horn and eastern and southern Africa in two rounds of training. However, an advanced training was sought to enhance the technical capability of financial analysts and investigators to equip them with advanced knowledge and skills in operational analysis, which has an essential role to improve operational effectiveness.

To this end, the Project organised this advanced training course to enhance analytical and investigative capability of the FIUs and LEAs of the region.

Objectives

The Training is expected to reinforce the capacity of FIUs and LEAs to:

• Better use operational and tactical information received from reporting entities;
• Effectively collect more information from other sources, analyse information and produce operational analytical products to identify and disrupt illicit financial transactions and activities;
• Disseminate better quality and adequate operational analytical products; and
• Improve the quality of financial investigations.

Feedback/Review

The post-training evaluation survey revealed that all trainees agreed that the course:

• was relevant and important,
• fully achieved its goals,
• added value to their knowledge and skills in operational analysis, and
• was relevant to their professional improvement.

The trainees recommend for more similar courses, preferably organised in-person to benefit from peers’ hands-on practical exercises and case studies.