Uganda has called on African countries to strengthen cooperation, embrace technological innovation and improve asset recovery efforts to combat financial crime as the country hosts the second Africa Financial Intelligence Summit (AFIS) 2026 in Kampala.

The Minister of State for Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, officially opened the summit at Speke Resort Munyonyo Convention Centre, bringing together delegates from 36 countries, including financial intelligence authorities, law enforcement agencies, regulators, forensic investigators and international partners.

The summit, running from November 9 to 13, 2026, is hosted by Uganda's Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) under the theme, “Securing Africa’s Financial Future: Intelligence, Innovation and Integrated Enforcement in an Era of Borderless Financial Crime.”

The gathering seeks to strengthen Africa's capacity to prevent and investigate money laundering, terrorism financing, corruption and illicit financial flows while exploring innovative approaches to tackling increasingly sophisticated financial crimes.

Speaking at the opening, Musasizi said Africa was at a defining moment as financial crime continued to evolve in scale, speed and sophistication, driven partly by the rapid growth of digital finance, financial technology, virtual assets and cross-border transactions.

He highlighted Uganda's progress in strengthening its Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework, which contributed to the country's removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.

The Minister also commended the Financial Intelligence Authority for becoming the first Financial Intelligence Unit in Africa to attain the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, demonstrating Uganda's commitment to internationally recognised standards for information security and the protection of sensitive financial intelligence.

The need for stronger international cooperation was also emphasised by the Executive Director of the Financial Intelligence Authority, Were Wandera, who called for collective action against increasingly sophisticated financial crime networks.

“In an era where criminal networks are borderless, our cooperation must be equally borderless,” Wandera said while delivering his opening remarks.

Looking towards Uganda's 2028 mutual evaluation, Musasizi urged continued vigilance against emerging threats, particularly risks associated with virtual assets, beneficial ownership vulnerabilities, digital financial crime and weaknesses in asset recovery.

He outlined three priority areas for African countries: stronger real-time cooperation among Financial Intelligence Units, investment in technology and cyber resilience, and more effective recovery of proceeds of crime.

He emphasised that financial intelligence agencies must strengthen their capacity to trace, freeze, seize and recover illicit assets so that resources lost through criminal activities can be returned for the benefit of economies and citizens.

Musasizi further challenged African countries to move beyond technical compliance and build effective, secure and trusted financial systems capable of protecting national resources, strengthening investor confidence and supporting sustainable economic transformation.

Meanwhile, the Inspectorate of Government is participating in the summit, reaffirming its commitment to fighting corruption and financial crimes through institutional collaboration and information sharing.

The Inspectorate is represented by Dr. Ernest Katwesigye, Assistant Director of Asset Recovery; Ms. Gloria Abalo, Principal Inspectorate Officer from the Directorate of Legal Affairs; and Mr. Muhammad Mwasa, Executive Assistant to the Inspector General of Government.

The Inspectorate's participation highlights the importance of cooperation between institutions responsible for investigating corruption, tracing illicit financial flows and recovering assets obtained through criminal activities.

The summit is also exploring the application of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, digital identity, blockchain intelligence and advanced analytics, in strengthening financial investigations and enforcement.

Participants are expected to examine practical approaches to improving intelligence sharing, strengthening investigations and developing coordinated responses to financial crimes that increasingly operate across national borders.

Uganda's hosting of the summit comes amid continued efforts to strengthen its financial intelligence and information security systems ahead of the 2028 mutual evaluation.

As financial transactions become increasingly digital and interconnected, the summit provides an opportunity for African institutions to strengthen partnerships, share expertise and develop practical responses to emerging financial crime threats.

Musasizi urged delegates to translate the summit's discussions into practical action, stronger partnerships and lasting institutional capacity, stressing that protecting Africa's financial integrity is a shared responsibility and a foundation for the continent's economic development.