Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso was officially removed this Friday from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list, demonstrating the strong political commitment of its top authorities and the support of various ministerial departments in the rigorous implementation of reforms taken to strengthen the system for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
According to Burkina Information Agency, Burkina Faso is no longer on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list. The announcement was made Friday in Ouagadougou by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Dr. Aboubakar Nacanabo, in front of several journalists at his office.
Dr. Nacanabo welcomed the strong political commitment and reforms implemented by Burkina Faso to strengthen its system for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Placed on the FATF grey list since 2021 for “strategic failures” in its system for combating money laundering and terrorist financing, Burkina Faso has undertaken a vast action plan comprising 40 measures to be implemented before its definitive exit, the minister recalls.
‘From 2021, there was a strong political commitment, materialized by an action plan coordinated by the National Financial Information Processing Unit (CENTIF),’ explained Dr. Aboubakar Nacanabo. According to the authority, this plan has enabled significant progress in the legislative, technical and institutional fields, notably the adoption of the law on the fight against money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, voted by the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT).
Burkina Faso has also implemented an electronic register of beneficial owners, an essential tool for the transparency of financial transactions. Supervisory authorities, control structures, and partner associations also took part in this national mobilization. In August 2025, a FATF mission visited Ouagadougou to verify on-the-ground the implementation of the commitments made by the country. “The FATF left very satisfied with the concrete actions and political will demonstrated by Burkina Faso,” the minister said.
At the end of the plenary session on October 24, 2025, the FATF officially confirmed Burkina Faso’s removal from the gray list, welcoming the government’s efforts to consolidate an effective national system against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. This decision strengthens Burkina Faso’s international credibility and paves the way for greater economic and financial attractiveness for the country, says Dr. Aboubakar Nacanabo.