Representatives from all 54 African countries are gathering in Abuja to tackle one of the continent's most persistent financial wounds: the theft and stashing of public assets across borders.
The meeting is focused on building a united continental front. The chair of the organising committee described the goal plainly, saying the purpose is to harmonise, synergise, and come up with concrete strategies to deal with what he called "this menace."
With dozens of nations in the same room, the pressure is on to move beyond individual country efforts and toward something that actually sticks. Whether this gathering produces binding commitments or stays at the level of strategy documents is the question every delegate will be carrying home.
Originally published by Premium Times.