The Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa has re-elected Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, as president.

This was announced in a communique issued at the end of the seventh Annual General Assembly of NACIWA on Wednesday in Abuja, signed by all the  ECOWAS member states.

The communique affirmed AGA’s adoption of guidelines on borderless investigations, asset tracing, recovery, and management of the Economic Community of West African States.

It commended Olukoyede for offering remarkable leadership and commitment to tackling trans-border economic and financial crimes in the sub-region.

The communique stated that Olukoyede and other Executive Committee members, who completed their first term at the end of the gathering on Wednesday,  were re-elected through consensus renewal of their mandates.

It stated that the AGA  also reaffirmed its commitment to the 2001 ECOWAS Protocol on the Fight against Corruption and the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

The Assembly also expressed commitment to the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, reaffirming the importance of regional cooperation in asset recovery, mutual legal assistance, and information exchange.

It urged member institutions to strengthen coordination with national financial intelligence units and law enforcement agencies, and acknowledged that the gathering coincided with the commemoration of 50 years of ECOWAS, symbolising renewed regional unity and collaboration.

It also called on member institutions to take necessary steps to domesticate and operationalise the ECOWAS Protocol within their national systems to ensure alignment with regional commitments.

The communique further  stressed the need for continued collaboration with civil society organisations, youth, and media networks to enhance advocacy and public participation in the fight against corruption.

President Bola Tinubu, while declaring AGA open on Tuesday, called on ECOWAS to designate resource theft, particularly illegal mining, and mineral smuggling as international crimes. He warned that the menace posed a grave threat to the peace, stability, and economic prosperity of the subregion.

He called for sensitising the world against trade in stolen minerals from West Africa.

(NAN)