GABAC and the prevention of money laundering

Fecha de última actualización: 07/01/2026

Within the field of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, there is a wide range of entities involved in the development of policies and standards. One model of such organisations is the FATF-style regional bodies — FSRBs, regional bodies similar to the FATF. To date, there are nine FSRBs, such as ESAAMLG, all of which form part of the FATF’s regulatory framework. Among these bodies is also the Groupe d’Action contre le Blanchiment d’argent en Afrique Centrale — GABAC. This body operates in Central African countries, supervising and coordinating strategic objectives in the area of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing.

GABAC is an institution that forms part of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa. The entity arose from the need identified by the Monetary Union and its Heads of State to create a structure to promote standards and norms to combat money laundering. It was established in 2000 through Additional Act No. 9/00/CEMAC-086/CCE 02 and was assigned the following missions:

• Combating money laundering and the proceeds of crime.
• Implementing measures to address this phenomenon within the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa.
• Assessing the results of the measures adopted.
• Assisting Member States in their anti-money laundering policies, as well as cooperating with existing structures in Africa and at the international level.

The entity was admitted as an observer member of the FATF in October 2012. Subsequently, following several years of regulatory development in the field of prevention, GABAC was formally admitted as an FSRB in 2015. This took place at the FATF Plenary Meeting held in Paris in October 2015.

GABAC currently comprises seven States:

• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Congo
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Gabon

Among its main functions, as with other FSRBs, is the conduct of mutual evaluations. These constitute a peer-review mechanism designed to assess the level of compliance with the FATF’s 40 Recommendations by member countries. These evaluations are carried out by the Member States themselves together with observers, who assess each other on a reciprocal basis.

For example, in 2024, the mutual evaluation of Cameroon was conducted. The working group that prepared the report was composed of experts from Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and Gabon.

Its organisational structure is composed of a Permanent Secretariat, the Plenary, and Technical Committees. The position of Secretary is rotational and includes responsibilities such as coordinating GABAC’s technical assistance, implementing studies related to current threats, and strengthening the capacities of GABAC members. The Technical Committees issue opinions on the mutual evaluations carried out by the States and examine matters referred to them by the Secretariat. The Plenary, for its part, is composed of representatives of the various countries that make up GABAC and constitutes the organisation’s highest decision-making body.