How can civil society in Africa respond to government over-regulations that are based on FATF standards?

06-10-2021
New briefer on understanding FATF standards and responding to their misuse in Africa.

Governments are increasingly introducing new laws or seeking to amend existing ones to tighten regulation of the non-profit sector. They often state that their actions are necessary to comply with the standards required by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). In the past two years alone, governments have introduced or are contemplating FATF-inspired NPO-legislation in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In this new briefer, developed together with ICNL, we give an introduction to FATF, why its standards matter for civil society in Africa, and how nonprofits can take action to address over-regulations that the governments justify on the basis of addressing money laundering / terrorism financing threats.