The UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) has released its latest thematic assessment, spotlighting persistent gaps in the fight against terrorism financing (TF) in 29 Member States in Africa examined under the reporting period (2024-2025) and identifying their priority areas for technical assistance.
The report underscores that Da’esh, Al-Qaida and their affiliates have intensified operations across the continent, with the Sahel, Central Africa and the Horn of Africa emerging as hotspots. These groups exploit political instability, ongoing conflicts, porous borders, food insecurity, informal economies, and benefit from territorial control in some areas and access to natural resources such as gold, gems, and timber to generate funds.
CTED identifies persistent weaknesses in national risk assessments, which are often outdated, inconsistent, or disconnected from broader CFT strategies. TF investigations and prosecutions remain limited, with financial intelligence units and law enforcement authorities lacking the capacity and coordination to pursue complex cases. Links between terrorism financing and organized crime, including trafficking and illegal mining, are insufficiently analyzed, while oversight of sectors such as extractives, non-profit organizations, and mobile money operators remains weak.
Foreign terrorist fighters pose an additional challenge, with networks using sophisticated technologies and informal channels to raise and move funds. Implementation of targeted financial sanctions also lags, hampered by weak designation processes, delays in freezing assets, and limited cross-border cooperation. Most governments still lack systems to analyze or share data on cross-border cash movements, making detection rare.
The report calls for African-led, context-specific solutions supported by international partners. Priorities include building stronger risk assessments, enhancing cross-border coordination, regulating vulnerable sectors, and improving capacity to track new technologies and online fundraising. While progress has been made in aligning with global standards, CTED concludes that implementation remains uneven and that terrorist financing in Africa continues to pose threats with global implications
Strengthening risk-based methodologies, cross-border cooperation, financial intelligence, and oversight of vulnerable sectors such as mobile money and extractives are highlighted as priorities for technical assistance. The report also calls for greater investment in capacity-building, improved information sharing, and more robust partnerships with the private sector, civil society, and international organizations. Addressing the identified systemic gaps will require not only political will and resources, but also sustained international cooperation and support for African States to strengthen their resilience against this evolving threat.
In compliance with resolution 2462 (2019), this assessment has been transmitted to the United Nations Office on Counter Terrorism (UNOCT), through the Counter-Terrorism Committee, for the purpose of designing targeted technical assistance and capacity-building efforts.
A brief overview of the reports are available here, while the full 2024-2025 report is available here.