Who we are
The Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) is a Regional Body subscribing to global standards to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism and proliferation. Its 19 Member Countries are Angola, Botswana, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe and includes a number of regional and international observers such as AUSTRAC, Commonwealth Secretariat, East African Community, FATF, IMF, SADC, United Kingdom, United States of America, UNODC,World Bank and World Customs Organization. The United Kingdom and United States of America have been cooperating and supporting nations of the organization since it was established in 1999.

The main objectives of ESAAMLG are to:

Adopt and implement the 40 Recommendations of the FATF;
Apply anti-money laundering measures to all serious crime;
Implement measures to combat the financing of terrorism and
Implement any other measures contained in the multilateral agreements and initiatives relevant to prevention and control of laundering of proceeds of all serious crimes and the financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The Council of Ministers is the key decision-making body of the ESAAMLG and consists of at least one ministerial representative from each member country. The Council is ultimately responsible for setting the strategic direction of the Group, including approving work programmes. It is headed by a President who holds office for a period of one year. The Presidency of the Council rotates among the member countries, currently on the basis of alphabetical order.

The Task Force consists of senior government officials from legal, financial and law enforcement agencies in the ESAAMLG region responsible for AML/CFT matters. It is headed by a Chairman, who is drawn from the country holding the presidency. The Task Force of Senior Officials meets twice a year (March/April and August/September). The meetings provide an opportunity for delegates to discuss a number of issues relevant to the FATF Standards, mutual evaluation reports, typology studies’ reports, technical assistance and training, progress reports as well as attending special technical workshops/seminars on emerging money laundering and terrorist and proliferation financing trends.

The Task Force is responsible for all technical matters and makes recommendations to the Council for approval. Currently, the Task Force has established Working Groups including the Evaluation and Compliance Group,the Risk, Trends and Methods Group, Working Group on Risk,Compliance and Financial Inclusion, Technical Assistance and Training Coordination Forum, the FIU Forum and the Budget, Finance and Audit Committee which handle various assignments on behalf of the Task Force.

ESAAMLG has also Steering Commmittee which is an advisory committee on a variety of policy matters.It is chaired by the chairperson of the Task Force.

Mission
To consolidate and sustain the combined efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region through effective implementation of AML/CFT international standards in all ESAAMLG member countries.

Vision
A strong and dynamic FATF Style Regional Body committed to prevent and combat money laundering and terrorist and proliferation financing in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region.

Strategic Objectives
Sustaining effective Post Evaluation Implementation of AML/CFT measures in member countries under the first round of assessments.
Sustaining the second round of assessments and monitoring of ESAAMLG members' technical compliance with the FATF Recommendations and the Effectiveness of their AML/CFT systems.
Increase and sustain the knowledge of money laundering and terrorist financing trends and techniques in the region in order to effectively contribute to regional and international AML/CFT policy formulation.
Expansion of ESAAMLG membership and increase the visibility of ESAAMLG in the Region.
Strengthening and enhancing regional and international cooperation among member countries.
Enhancing ESAAMLG's cooperation and participation in AML/CFT regional and international initiatives.
Prioritizing and consolidating regional AML/CFT capacity building, particularly for assessing ML/TF risks and adopting risk based approach to implementation of AML/CFT Standards.
Promoting the Implementation of risk-based AML/CFT measures which support implementation of financial inclusion initiatives.
Consolidating the sustainability and efficiency of ESAAMLG and its Secretariat through implementing the recommendations of the Efficiency Scrutiny Working Group approved by the Council in August 2015.

History
ESAAMLG was launched at a Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Representatives in Arusha, Tanzania, On 26-27 August 1999. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) based on the experience of the FATF and other FATF Style Regional Bodies (FSRBs) was agreed to at that meeting. Following the signing of the MoU by seven of the potential members, ESAAMLG came into formal existence.The MoU was further amended in different meetings including the Ministerial Council meetings in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, September 2016 and Mahe, Seychelles, September 2018.

ESAAMLG held its first meeting On 17-19 April 2000 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. ESAAMLG currently has 18 member countries. The Democrat Republic of Congo is a regional observer member of the organization. ESAAMLG also has 34 cooperative supporting nations and organizations

All ESAAMLG members are committed to the FATF Forty Recommendations.Since the launch of ESAAMLG, a lot of progress has been made by the organisation in developing a work programme that has enabled it to undertake the core functions of a FATF Style Regional Body (FSRB).ESAAMLG became an associate member of the FATF in June 2010. The ESAAMLG operates in a global context in which other regional groups like itself collaborate with the FATF. ESAAMLG, therefore like the FATF, monitors the implementation of the FATF Forty Recommendations in the region and undertakes research on money laundering and terrorist financing threats.

What Do We Do
The Purpose of The Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) is to combat money laundering by implementing the FATF Recommendations. This effort includes coordinating with other international organisations concerned with combating money laundering, studying emerging regional typologies, developing institutional and human resource capacities to deal with these issues, and coordinating technical assistance where necessary. ESAAMLG enables regional factors to be taken into account in the implementation of anti-money laundering measures.