NAIROBI, Kenya – Law enforcement and financial crime experts from across Africa have gathered for a workshop dedicated to promoting and implementing the INTERPOL Silver Notice and Diffusion.
Organized crime in Africa, as in other regions, thrives on illicit financial flows and the laundered proceeds of crimes such as scams, illegal logging, terrorism and corruption. These crimes are increasingly supported by complex financial structures that span borders.
Launched in January 2025, the INTERPOL Silver Notice allows participating countries to request information related to criminal assets — such as real estate, vehicles, financial accounts, or businesses — with links to individuals suspected or charged of various offences including fraud, drug trafficking and migrant smuggling. The mechanism supports cross-border intelligence exchange and can lay the groundwork for subsequent requests for asset seizure or confiscation under national legal frameworks.
The Silver Notice, currently in pilot across 51 countries, is one of several tools—alongside the I-GRIP stop-payment mechanism—empowering agencies to move swiftly against illicit finances and fraud.
The four-day event (13-16 May) brings together 85 participants from 12 pilot African countries including representatives from INTERPOL National Central Bureaus, financial intelligence units, prosecutors’ offices, judicial authorities and asset recovery focal points. This regional session follows similar workshops held in the Americas and Europe earlier this year.
Mohamed I. Amin, Director of Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations, said:
“The Silver Notice is more than a tool, it is a symbol of global solidarity against crime. By targeting illicit wealth, we strike at the heart of criminal enterprises and uphold justice. Let us commit to leveraging this mechanism, ensuring that crime never pays, anywhere, at any time.”
Theos Badege, Director pro tempore of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Corruption Centre said:
“Money is the thread that runs through almost every form of organized crime. For some, it’s the motive; for others, the means. To dismantle criminal networks, we must follow the money—identify it, trace it, and disrupt the financial systems that enable these operations to survive and expand.”
Building capacity for maximum impact
Throughout the workshop, participants will explore how to leverage INTERPOL’s full range of capabilities—including its Notices, databases, expert networks, and operational support tools—to conduct financial investigations and disrupt criminal economies. Sessions also focus on emerging technologies, such as the use of cryptocurrencies and blockchain in laundering illicit funds.
Interactive table-top exercises and case-based discussions are designed to encourage regional exchange, identify common challenges and stimulate the practical use of Silver Notices in ongoing cases.
The workshop was supported by German Development Cooperation through the GIZ Global Program Combatting Illicit Financial Flows and the GIZ Program on Strengthening Good Governance in Kenya, as well as the EU-joint action SecFin Africa.
