In brief
African financial specialists gathered on November 9, 2026, in Kampala for the Africa Financial Intelligence Summit 2026, focusing on real‑time cooperation, cyber resilience, and advanced analytics to trace, freeze, seize and recover illicit proceeds. Uganda’s finance minister highlighted the growing threat of digital technologies and cross‑border criminal networks, urging African countries to strengthen financial intelligence units and expand technological capabilities.
On Monday, November 9, 2026, African financial experts gathered in Kampala, Uganda, for a five‑day summit aimed at curbing the rise of illicit financial flows intensified by digital technologies and complex financial systems. The event, dubbed the Africa Financial Intelligence Summit 2026, convened delegates from 36 African nations and several international partners.
The summit’s theme, “Securing Africa’s Financial Future: Intelligence, Innovation and Integrated Enforcement in an Era of Borderless Financial Crime,” underscores the board’s recognition that financial crime continues to grow in scale, speed and sophistication alongside the rapid expansion of digital finance, financial technology, virtual assets and cross‑border transactions.
Uganda’s Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Henry Musasizi, opened the meeting, stating that Africa was “at a defining moment” as financial crime transcended national borders.
In a statement posted on his ministry’s X account, Musasizi called on African countries to strengthen real‑time cooperation among financial intelligence units. He emphasized the need to enhance technological and cyber resilience, advocating for advanced capabilities in artificial intelligence, blockchain analytics, and cyber and digital forensics.
Musasizi further warned that illicit proceeds must be traced, frozen, seized and recovered for the benefit of African economies and their citizens. He urged the summit to strengthen institutions, sharpen intelligence, deepen cooperation and ensure that Africa’s financial systems increasingly serve the continent’s development.
The gathering brought together representatives from financial intelligence units, law enforcement agencies, regulatory authorities, forensic investigators, and international partners, all tasked with developing cohesive strategies to identify and dismantle cross‑border criminal networks.
Participants agreed that the integration of AI and blockchain analytics was essential to identifying hidden flows and tracing assets to their rightful owners. They also discussed setting up joint task forces to monitor and investigate virtual asset transactions that can facilitate the rapid movement of illicit funds.
As the summit progressed into its fifth day, leaders reaffirmed a commitment to collaborative enforcement, sharing best practices, and leveraging technology to recover stolen wealth, thereby protecting African economies and safeguarding citizens’ interests.