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Call for Speakers

The theme of the conference is ”Effective Mechanisms to Respond to Emerging and Transnational Organised Crime in Africa: Country Experiences and Challenges”

As we continuously move towards an ever digital and globalised world, the nature of crime is also evolving accordingly as criminal groups exploit these newfound avenues for criminal purposes. As such, criminal groups are joining and creating complex networks that have no boundaries in their scope and mode of operations thereby diversifying their criminal activities. This coupled with technological advancement, has enhanced the complex nature of transnational organised crimes. This has led to new threats to global security emerging, including cybercrime, wildlife and forest crime, piracy, organ trafficking, and maritime crimes among others. These crimes pose a threat to national and international security.

In order for us to effectively combat these criminal groups, there is a therefore a need for a coordinated transnational response to these criminal networks. This calls for states to rise beyond their border confines by embracing joint ventures in capacity building and legal law enforcement approaches between other states. The conference is thus aimed at improving the knowledge, effectiveness and efficiency of regional collaboration between African states.

Four sub-themes will be explored during the conference:

Emerging Crimes in Africa and Strategies for Succesful Prosecution

Today’s ease of trade and accessibility to global markets coupled by availability of encrypted communications avenues, have promoted connections across the globe. Unfortunately, with such advancement’s criminal innovations, and development of new crime tactics also come to the fore thereby fostering novel offenses. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss general offences that are newfangled in their countries and share ideas on the mechanisms they have adopted to deter, disrupt and dismantle the emerging crimes.

Crypto-Currency Money Laundering

While there are instances where cryptocurrencies have been used and exchanged for legitimate purposes, the crypto avenues have also been exploited by organized criminal groups to launder criminal cash. Most African jurisdictions, lack legislation to tackle, regulate or monitor these avenues, thereby making the forums, ideal for criminal gangs to hide proceeds of crime. The discussion in this area, will allow Participants to explore strategies that have been adopted in their countries to tackle criminal activities identified on crypto-forums.

Cross-Border Environmental Crimes

The significance of environmental violations at a global arena cannot be under-estimated especially with the growing concern of climate change. Organized criminal syndicates, continue to cause degradation of the environment through illegal mining, illegal logging and the trade in timber, un- regulated fishing, illegal waste trafficking and disposal of toxic waste in rivers, to mention a few. These crimes are often considered ‘high profit’ ‘low risk’ and ‘victimless’.

In most jurisdictions, prosecutors and judges are not adequately informed about environmental crimes and remain insensitive to this category of violation. The participants will share, best practices from the various jurisdictions in the prioritization of the fight against environmental degradation.

Money Laundering and Asset Recovery

Money laundering serves as a major component of emerging and transnational crimes, as it provides the resources that criminal groups require to continue and gain from their operations. It is therefore important for states present to not only understand the evolving nature of this crime but also identify mechanisms that help deter, disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises, denying them the instruments and proceeds of their crimes.

Within this theme the sessions will be broken down into the following;

1. Combating money laundering in Africa; and
2. Strategies for Asset Recovery.

Discussions under this topic will be premised on the possibility of having a cross-border legal framework on how to handle proceeds of crimes from foreign jurisdictions. The legislation can for instance provide procedures to be adopted once such assets are traced and recovered. In addition, ‘should the country where the assets are traced, freeze the asset, on behalf of the country of origin, as litigation proceeds in respect to the crime. In the alternative, should the holding country forfeit the assets being that there are proceeds of crime recovered in its jurisdiction and if forfeited, who should be the beneficiary’.