FIA becomes Africa’s first to earn ISO 27001 certification

What the report says

Uganda’s Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) has become the first financial intelligence unit in Africa to receive ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, according to The Independent Uganda. The certification was announced on October 29 at the FIA headquarters in Kampala during a ceremony attended by Finance Minister Henry Musasizi and other government officials. The award recognises the agency’s information security management systems and its ability to safeguard sensitive financial data used in efforts against money laundering, terrorist financing and illicit financial flows.

FIA Executive Director Samuel Were Wandera said the process took about a year and followed a detailed assessment of the authority’s technology and security systems. The certification is intended to give reporting institutions, investigators and international partners greater confidence that information shared with the FIA is protected under established controls. The authority works with law enforcement and other stakeholders by receiving, analysing and passing on financial intelligence connected to suspected financial crime.

The article also says the FIA launched a Client Service Charter to improve accountability, transparency and service delivery to institutions and individuals it serves. The certification was supported by the National Information Technology Authority-Uganda and the World Bank through the Uganda Digital Acceleration Project. The report places the development in a wider policy context, noting Uganda’s upcoming FATF mutual evaluation in 2028 and the importance of strong anti-money laundering systems for investor confidence and economic stability.