Uganda is hosting a major continental summit bringing together financial intelligence authorities, law enforcement agencies, regulators and international experts to strengthen Africa’s fight against money laundering, terrorism financing and other financial crimes.
The Africa Financial Intelligence Summit (AFIS) 2026 is taking place from November 9 to 13 at Speke Resort Munyonyo Convention Centre in Kampala, with participants expected to examine emerging threats to financial systems and explore ways of improving cooperation in detecting and disrupting criminal financial networks.
The summit is being organised by the Government of Uganda in strategic partnership with the International Institute of Certified Forensic Investigation Professionals (IICFIP-USA) under the theme, “Securing Africa’s Financial Future: Intelligence, Innovation and Integrated Enforcement in an Era of Borderless Financial Crime.”
The five-day meeting comes amid growing concerns over the increasing sophistication of financial crimes, particularly those involving digital technologies, complex financial transactions and criminal networks operating across national borders.
The expansion of mobile money services, electronic banking, digital assets and international payment systems has created new opportunities for legitimate businesses but has also exposed financial institutions to increasingly sophisticated methods used by criminals to conceal and transfer proceeds of crime.
Through the summit, African countries are seeking to strengthen intelligence sharing, embrace technological innovation and improve coordination among institutions responsible for investigating and preventing financial crimes.
“Financial crime has no borders—and Africa’s response must have no borders either,” the organisers said, stressing the need for countries to work together in identifying suspicious financial activities and disrupting criminal networks that operate across different jurisdictions.
The discussions are expected to address the importance of cooperation between financial intelligence units, banks, regulators, law enforcement agencies and other institutions involved in monitoring financial transactions and investigating suspected criminal activities.
Money laundering remains a major challenge because it allows criminals to disguise the origins of money obtained through illegal activities and introduce it into the legitimate financial system. Terrorism financing also presents serious security challenges, as funds can be moved through different channels and jurisdictions to support activities that threaten national and regional stability.
Another area of concern is the movement of illicit financial flows across borders, which can deprive governments of revenue, undermine financial institutions and weaken efforts to promote economic development.
The summit is expected to provide an opportunity for participants to share investigative expertise, examine emerging financial crime trends and identify practical ways of strengthening the systems used to detect suspicious transactions, trace criminal proceeds and support prosecutions.
Uganda’s hosting of the summit places the country’s financial intelligence framework at the centre of continental discussions on financial security and the need for stronger institutional cooperation.
The Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA), established under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2013, is Uganda’s national centre responsible for receiving financial information, analysing it and disseminating financial intelligence to competent authorities.
The authority receives suspicious transaction reports from accountable institutions, analyses financial data and shares relevant intelligence with law enforcement agencies to support investigations into suspected money laundering, terrorism financing and related offences.
Its work also involves strengthening compliance with anti-money laundering requirements and cooperating with domestic and international institutions to improve the detection of suspicious financial activities.
The summit’s focus on intelligence, innovation and integrated enforcement is particularly relevant as financial criminals increasingly exploit technological developments and differences in regulatory systems to move money between countries.
By bringing together specialists and institutions from across the continent, AFIS 2026 seeks to promote a coordinated approach that makes it more difficult for criminal networks to exploit gaps in financial intelligence and law enforcement cooperation.
The meeting also provides a platform for Uganda to engage with international experts and strengthen partnerships aimed at protecting the integrity of financial systems and addressing the growing threat of illicit financial flows.
The Africa Financial Intelligence Summit runs until November 13, 2026, at Speke Resort Munyonyo Convention Centre in Kampala.
