Mbabane – The European Union has continued supporting Eswatini’s efforts to strengthen its systems for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism as the country prepares for its upcoming mutual evaluation.
EU Ambassador to Eswatini Karsten Mecklenburg held a courtesy meeting with the Secretariat of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG), which is in the Kingdom to facilitate an ongoing Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Standards Training Course.
The training is being supported by the European Union through the SecFin Africa Project and was requested by Eswatini’s national Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Task Force through the Ministry of Finance. 
It brings together key stakeholders from across Eswatini’s financial sector to improve their understanding of the FATF Recommendations and strengthen their ability to apply the standards in practice.
The training comes as Eswatini prepares for its upcoming mutual evaluation, which will assess the country’s measures and systems for addressing money laundering and terrorist financing risks.
During the courtesy meeting, discussions covered the objectives of the training and several aspects of Eswatini’s regulatory framework, including rules governing non profit organisations.
The discussions also considered the need for measures aimed at preventing the financing of terrorism to remain effective while allowing legitimate civil society organisations to operate within an appropriate regulatory environment.
Through the SecFin Africa Project, the European Union is supporting efforts to strengthen Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism frameworks across Sub Saharan Africa.
