Youth Coalition Praises FIA Chief for Gains in Fight Against Financial Crimes

Published: June 19, 2026

MONROVIA – A youth and student coalition has praised the Financial Intelligence Agency of Liberia and its head, Mohammed Ali Nasser, for what it called measurable gains against money laundering and illicit financial flows, crediting reforms it says have restored confidence in the country’s financial system.

The Coalition of Youths and Students for Better Liberia, COYSBL, commended the FIA under Officer-in-Charge Nasser for progress made since his appointment by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on April 2, 2024. In an assessment of his performance over the past two years, the group described him as a leader with roots in the youth and student community who has shown commitment to transparency, accountability and economic justice.

“The Coalition of Youths and Students for Better Liberia recognizes that a credible financial system is the foundation for national development. Under OIC Nasser’s leadership, the FIA has taken bold, measurable steps to protect Liberia from money laundering, terrorist financing and illicit financial flows,” the group said in a statement.

The coalition cited several achievements under Nasser. It said the agency secured Liberia’s access to more than 170 financial intelligence units worldwide to track illicit funds, and hosted the 44th Technical Commission and Plenary Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa, GIABA, in Monrovia from Nov. 17 to 23, 2025. On domestic enforcement, the group said the FIA moved to address anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing deficiencies in the real estate, mining, gaming and banking sectors, and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Asset Recovery and Property Retrieval Task Force, AREPT, on July 2, 2025, to enable joint investigations, data sharing and the recovery of stolen public assets.

The coalition said the FIA has also provided local and international training for staff, including training on illicit financial flows in Sweden, and noted an ongoing anti-money laundering training, sensitization and awareness initiative with the Liberia Land Authority to strengthen regulation in the real estate sector. COYSBL said Nasser’s reforms have reduced financial crimes and aligned Liberia with Financial Action Task Force, FATF, standards ahead of the 2029 evaluation.

The group called on the National Legislature to provide adequate budgetary support for the FIA and urged Boakai to continue prioritizing merit-based appointments in anti-graft institutions. It pledged support for Nasser “for managing the agency with a high degree of transparency and accountability in the protection of Liberia’s resources for future generations.”