Strengthening Financial Investigation of Wildlife Crime in Central Africa

This paper highlights the links between the illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and illicit financial flows and the critical need to disrupt organised crime networks and combat corruption. ​With novel inputs from regional financial intelligence units and practitioners, the paper finds that despite high awareness of IWT illicit financial flows, financial units in the region face significant hurdles in carrying out investigations due to systemic barriers, resource constraints and pervasive corruption. ​

Key Recommendations

• Prioritise financial investigations at key transport nodes to target organised crime networks and exploit paper trails. 
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• Create clear, locally adapted operating procedures for financial investigations into IWT, ensuring all enforcement agencies understand their roles. 
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• Implement systematic, locally led training programmes to equip enforcement agencies with financial investigation skills and to ensure sustainability. 
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• Incorporate anti-corruption best practices into training and operating procedures to protect investigators and enhance transparency. 
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• Conduct regular assessments on IWT-related illicit financial flows and foster public–private partnerships to improve intelligence sharing and enforcement outcomes.