The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kenya, Rachel Swain Toya, and the Secretary-General of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, Major General Pilot Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghaidi, witnessed the launch of the “Combatting Terrorism Financing and Money Laundering” program in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi today. This program is organized by the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition as part of its strategic initiatives, with the participation of representatives from government, regulatory, banking, and law enforcement agencies.
Minister Swain Toya highlighted in her speech the establishment of the Coalition’s training program as a demonstration of the shared commitment to enhancing regional and international security. She emphasized that Kenya recognizes the need for strong international cooperation, information exchange, legal coordination, and continuous capacity development to effectively combat terrorism financing. She pointed out that terrorism financing fuels recruitment, planning, logistical support, and execution operations, and without addressing its financial sources, counter-terrorism efforts will remain at risk. She praised Kenya’s partnership with the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, whose members share the common goal of confronting extremism and violence in all its forms.
On his part, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition stated in his speech that the threat of terrorism knows no borders and targets security, stability, and development worldwide without distinction. He highlighted Kenya’s pivotal role in facing security challenges and threats in Africa. He explained that the establishment of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition was driven by a clear vision to coordinate international efforts, unify intellectual, media, financial, and military capabilities, and implement initiatives to build capacities and train specialists to enhance readiness of anti-terrorism agencies. He noted that funding is the lifeblood of terrorist groups, and combating it requires stronger cooperation among countries, financial institutions, and intensified efforts to combat it.
The program aims to enhance the capabilities of legal, security, regulatory, and financial entities in dealing with the challenges of money laundering and terrorism financing by building a deep understanding of international legal frameworks, related agreements, developing financial analysis mechanisms, and international cooperation.
The program includes a series of lectures, workshops, and training courses focusing on several key aspects including the legal framework for combating money laundering and terrorism financing, sources and tools of financial crimes, financial detection and analysis techniques, regional and international cooperation, strategies for preventing terrorism financing, money laundering, training, and awareness.
