*Four Former Ambassadors to Lend Regional Expertise
31 August 2015, Sweetcrude, Washington, DC – Global Financial Integrity (GFI) is pleased to announce the formation of an Africa Advisory Group, which will provide expert political analysis and policy advice as the organization enters a new phase of its development. Four former ambassadors—Segun Apata, Johnnie Carson, Princeton Lyman and George Moose—constitute the august group. Combined, they represent over 150 years of experience in the region.
Ambassador Apata, from Nigeria, is currently Chairman of the Nigerian Bottling Company. During his tenure as a Foreign Service Officer he was Ambassador to the Republic of Zaire as well as Nigeria’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Ambassador Carson, who is now a Senior Advisor to the President of the U.S. Institute of Peace, was U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda, as well as Assistant Secretary of State from 2009-2013. Ambassador Lyman is also a Senior Advisor to the President of the U.S. Institute of Peace and served as Ambassador to Nigeria and South Africa and was the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan from 2011-2013. Ambassador Moose is Vice Chairman at the U.S. Institute of Peace; he previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Benin and to Senegal and was Assistant Secretary of State from 1993-1997.
GFI President Raymond Baker noted that “we are moving from theory to action in the fight on illicit flows and we are delighted that the four ambassadors have joined us in this effort. Their combined knowledge of the region and its leaders,” he continued, “is unmatched, and we look forward to receiving their wise counsel as we implement our actionable agenda.”
With the inclusion of international commitments in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals to significantly reduce illicit financial flows, GFI will add new programs to its repertoire of expert economic analysis and policy advocacy that will provide practical solutions developing countries can use in their efforts to reduce illicit flows. GFI defined the term “illicit financial flows” (IFFs) upon its launch in 2006. Two years later, GFI was the first organization to estimate the volume of IFFs for all developing countries. In 2012 (the last year for which data are available) IFFs were estimated at close to US$1 trillion—greater than the combined total of development assistance and foreign direct investment.