The Federal Government has welcomed the European Union’s decision to remove Nigeria from its list of high-risk countries linked to money laundering and terrorism financing, describing the move as a significant boost to the nation’s global financial standing.
The decision was contained in a European Commission Delegated Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1675.
Nigeria’s delisting follows its removal in October 2025 from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring, after the country successfully completed its Action Plan.
Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said Nigeria’s removal from the EU’s list of high-risk third countries for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) reflects growing international confidence in the country’s financial reforms.
In a statement, the Director of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Manga, said the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, attributed the achievement to the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to Edun, the milestone underscores the President’s “extraordinary leadership, unwavering political will and clear reform vision,” noting that AML/CFT reforms were prioritised as a key pillar of Nigeria’s economic governance and financial stability agenda.
He explained that the administration strengthened inter-agency collaboration, sustained engagement with international partners, and implemented critical legal, regulatory and institutional reforms to address deficiencies previously identified in Nigeria’s AML/CFT framework.
The European Commission, in its assessment, concluded that Nigeria had significantly improved the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime and addressed major technical and strategic gaps, leading to its removal from the EU’s high-risk list.