Ouagadougou: The Ministry of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism in Burkina Faso organized a training session at CENASA on Wednesday for individuals involved in the tourism sector. The initiative aims to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism by equipping sector actors with the necessary skills to detect illicit financial flows.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the event featured insights from Abdoulaye Dioni, a technical advisor to the Ministry of Tourism. Dioni emphasized the international nature of terrorism and the significant capital flows observed in the tourism sector involving both national and international actors. He highlighted the necessity for Burkina Faso to have an effective system in place to counter money laundering and ensure the country's stability, reinforcing the government's ongoing efforts to secure the territory.
During the opening ceremony, Mr. Dioni elaborated on the importance of the training, which focuses on familiarizing participants with legal texts at both international and national levels. These texts are designed to control the financing of terrorism and prevent sectors like tourism from being exploited for legitimizing illicit funds. He noted that this workshop is part of a series, with plans to extend the training to other regions where trainers will educate participants on the established systems and legal frameworks.
Monique Ou©draogo/Ilboudo, the Director General of Tourism, stated that the training would cover several modules, particularly on national legal regulations. These teachings aim to help the tourism sector anticipate and address issues related to money laundering and terrorism financing. She mentioned that sanctions are planned for non-compliance, and they would be applied gradually. The national structure, in collaboration with other stakeholders, is tasked with implementing a system to identify discrepancies in tourism financing and impose appropriate sanctions.
The training system enables promoters and staff in the tourism sector to take proactive measures, ensuring they are not inadvertently involved in activities related to money laundering and terrorism financing.