Tanzania
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Bridging intelligence and investigations: Advanced Operational Analysis training
A major blockage in financial crime cases lies in the space between intelligence and investigations. All too often, crucial financial intelligence from Financial Intelligence Units isn’t used effectively to trigger or advance investigations. One reason lies in the quality of the financial intelligence reports themselves, which may not match what investigators and prosecutors need. A related reason lies in poor cooperation between different agencies involved in the fight against financial crime. This blockage is a recurring challenge highlighted in evaluations of the effectiveness of countries’ frameworks for anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism AML/CFT conducted by the Financial Action Task Force FATF . Many countries perform relatively well on Immediate Outcome 6 IO6 , an indicator that measures the effective generation and use of financial intelligence. However, the real difficulty lies in converting this into effective investigations IO7 and the confiscation of assets IO8 , where scores are consistently lower. Training to bridge the gap Advanced Operational Analysis training, which the training team of the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery ICAR conducts for government agencies around the world, is specifically designed to bridge this gap. Between May and July 2025, our training team delivered Advanced Operational Analysis training in Mozambique, Ecuador and Tanzania. The intensive week-long workshops brought together Financial Intelligence Unit analysts, investigators, prosecutors and other relevant practitioners in each country. The objective was to enhance the generation of financial intelligence that officers in investigation and prosecution agencies can act upon. The ultimate goal: successful money laundering investigations and the recovery of illicit assets. Transforming intelligence into operational leads The Advanced Operational Analysis training combines our eLearning module on Operational Analysis of Suspicious Transaction Reports with an extensive, instructor-led country-specific component. Participants work through a complex and realistic simulated case involving: Shell companies and offshore structures; Intricate and large volume of financial data Blockchain transactions and the tracing of virtual assets; Cross-border elements and international cooperation mechanisms. They plan and collect relevant information using the intelligence cycle, as outlined in the eLearning course. After analysing it, they present it in a format that helps investigative or prosecutorial authorities identify indicators of possible predicate and money laundering offences as well as proceeds of crime. The authorities must then corroborate this intelligence and convert into evidence. In this way, intelligence is transformed into operational leads. In Tanzania, participants stressed its immediate relevance: The course is very good and relevant to daily work. It helps in analysing financial information and preparing intelligence reports that can be used by investigators and prosecutors. I learned how to collect, process, and present financial intelligence in a way that supports investigations of money laundering and other financial crimes. Fostering cooperation between agencies A key objective of the Advanced Operational Analysis programme is to strengthen cooperation among the diverse actors in the fight against financial crime, from Financial Intelligence Units and prosecutors to law enforcement agencies and even compliance officers from commercial banks. In Mozambique, participants highlighted the benefits of this joint approach: The course allowed us to engage with professionals from other agencies. It helped clarify how different institutions can collaborate and use financial intelligence more effectively. Others noted how the practical group exercise mirrored real inter-agency dynamics: The methodology, especially the teamwork component, reflects how we should be working in real life — analysts, investigators, and prosecutors together. Putting knowledge into practice Across all three countries, participants described the course as directly applicable. The blend of theory, tools and simulated investigation work gave them the confidence to apply new skills immediately. One participant in Ecuador reflected: The practical case helped us think like investigators and apply analytical techniques in a structured way. Participants particularly valued the exposure to diverse methods of gathering and analysing financial data. These elements came together in the simulated case that integrated automated tools such as database and OSINT search, along with AI-powered interview simulations. By working in a setting that closely mirrored reality, participants were able to visualise how these skills could be applied in their daily work. Positive signs The training programmes in Mozambique and Tanzania were delivered as part of the Basel Institute’s country programmes, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC . Both countries made significant progress in strengthening the effectiveness of their AML/CFT systems: the FATF confirmed Tanzania’s exit from its grey list of jurisdictions subject to increased monitoring in June 2025, while Mozambique’s Financial Intelligence Unit GiFIM joined the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units in July 2025. Learn more View ICAR’s training programmes on financial investigations and asset recovery for government agencies. Interested in learning opportunities as an individual? Check out our free eLearning courses and our new advanced study programme with the University of Basel on Combating Financial Crime Through Asset Recovery. The Expert Edition Plus service of our Basel AML Index – a widely used country index and risk assessment tool for money laundering and related financial crimes – allows users to view countries’ individual performance under the FATF’s Recommendations and Immediate Outcomes. Subscription is free for public-sector and non-profit organisations.
Southern Africa’s fight against corruption needs Collective Action
A high-level meeting of heads of anti-corruption agencies in the Southern African Development Community SADC last month was a chance to take stock of member countries’ efforts to tackle corruption. The meeting allowed for a reflection on many ongoing activities and discussions around Collective Action in the region this year. It was the perfect opportunity to reflect on how to galvanise joint efforts against the region’s biggest scourge. Speaking to delegates, Scarlet Wannenwetsch, Collective Action Specialist, highlighted the underused capacity of the private sector. Businesses are full of dynamism and talent, both of which are critical in fighting corruption and other transnational crimes. To harness the private sector’s potential, she emphasised the importance of building trust by fostering regional multi-stakeholder networks. Bringing together anti-corruption champions from the public sector, private sector and civil society helps to create “good” networks – ones powerful enough to fight the corrupt networks that are holding back development in the region. Appetite for engagement The Basel Institute has been a long-standing partner of the SADC Secretariat through the work of the Private Sector team. Our team has been impressed by the level of innovation in the region. Some feature in a publication capturing good practices that was created by, with and for anti-corruption agencies in Africa. We have also been training SADC corruption prevention officers on how to engage with the private sector through Collective Action approaches. Our partners consistently express a desire for more opportunities to engage and exchange with other stakeholders. They realise that no one group can tackle corruption alone. Working towards building a community of practice To sow the seeds for such a regional multi-stakeholder network, we launched the first Southern African Anti-Corruption Collective Action Forum earlier this year in collaboration with the Southern African Anti-Corruption Network SAACoN and The Ethics Institute. The event brought together participants from the private sector, civil society and government institutions to discuss concrete opportunities for learning and collaboration. For many, it was the first time they had met at the regional level. The event was also a chance to celebrate progress. CoST Uganda won our Southern Africa Anti-Corruption Collective Action Award for its outstanding achievements in tackling corruption and raising business integrity in the region. What’s next? In order to build on the momentum of the Forum and on the energy of the SADC region’s anti-corruption leaders, it is crucial that member states continue to prioritise collaboration and Collective Action. Government anti-corruption agencies needs close, sustained collaboration with the private sector and civil society if they want to develop a more inclusive strategy to prevent corruption – and if they want that strategy to actually work in practice. That applies not only at the country and sector level, but at the regional level too. And that’s what Collective Action can bring. We look forward to continuing our fruitful collaboration with the SADC Secretariat and wider partners to support anti-corruption Collective Action in the region. Learn more about our work on the B20 Collective Action Hub and find inspiration in its global database of initiatives.
Grey-listing for anti-money laundering failings: focus on Sub-Saharan Africa
A new special short report for the Basel AML Index analyses why so many Sub-Saharan African countries are on the so-called grey list of the Financial Action Task Force FATF . It covers the impacts on their economic development, the process of grey-listing and what governments need to do to be removed from the list. It also touches on specific areas of concern for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing AML/CFT in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eight countries in Sub-Saharan Africa now grey-listed In October 2022, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Tanzania were added to the so-called FATF grey list. Officially known as the “list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring”, the FATF grey list includes countries that are assessed to have strategic deficiencies in their national regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing. Sub-Saharan Africa now accounts for a third of countries on the grey list. This aligns with findings of the Basel AML Index, the Basel Institute’s ranking and risk assessment tool for money laundering and terrorist financing ML/TF . In the 2022 Public Edition of the Basel AML Index, the Sub-Saharan Africa region scored poorly for resilience to ML/TF and more than 60 percent of countries fell into the high-risk category. Although grey-listed countries are not subject to sanctions, being placed on the list does have severe implications for their economies. These include a substantial decline in capital inflows and foreign direct investment. Entering and leaving the grey list The short report looks at the FATF’s process for grey-listing, which starts with being referred to the special International Co-operation Review Group for one year. It then looks at what countries need to do to be removed from the list. A high-level political commitment is essential, as is completing an action plan developed to address each’s country’s specific gaps. Our analysis shows specific areas where Sub-Saharan African countries display particular weaknesses, and where regional support initiatives may be helpful. Cross-cutting weaknesses at the government level include the fundamental steps of accurately assessing ML/TF risks and developing a risk-based approach to supervision. Enhancing the capacities of law enforcement agencies and financial intelligence units is also a key need. It takes effort to complete the action plan, but progress is always welcomed. When an on-site visit confirms that all items are satisfactorily achieved, the FATF announces the country’s removal from the grey list at its next plenary meeting. Learn more Download the special report on FATF grey-listing in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report complements a new series of short reports on jurisdictions that have been delisted from the FATF grey list. These will publicly available on the Basel AML Index website Downloads page . Remember: the Basel AML Index Expert Edition offers a sophisticated tool for analysing geographic ML/TF risk. Subscriptions are free to most organisations outside the private sector, as well as journalists.
New Working Paper on developing anti-corruption interventions based on a behaviour change approach
The Basel Institute's Public Governance team has published a new Working Paper that provides guidance on developing anti-corruption interventions based on a Social Norms and Behaviour Change SNBC approach. Still a relatively nascent field, SNBC interventions typically address social norms that make corruption acceptable or expected, and attempt to influence behaviours away from corrupt practices. The guidance is based on lessons learned from a largely successful pilot project in Tanzania that targeted social norms fuelling bribery "gift giving" in health facilities and attempted to change the behaviours of both health care providers and users away from exchanging gifts. Survey results showed a 14–44% decrease in gift-giving intentions, attitudes and positive beliefs among hospital users following the pilot intervention. The guidance covers: How to identify when a SNBC approach is suitable Essential background research needed to design anti-corruption SNBC interventions Frameworks to formulate theories of change Specific elements to build into SNBC interventions What practitioners should expect when embarking on an SNBC intervention Ways they can help build evidence and understanding of SNBC approaches in the anti-corruption field. The publication was supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development BMZ . The pilot intervention that serves as the basis for most of the reflections included in this document was funded by the Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme GI-ACE , funded with UK aid from the UK government. View and download Working Paper 40: Developing anti-corruption interventions addressing social norms.
Building senior leadership skills to support Tanzania’s fight against corruption
An eight-month training programme for senior leaders of Tanzania and Zanzibar's anti-corruption and economic crimes authorities concluded last week, in the presence of Minister Haroun Ali Suleiman Zanzibar’s Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs and Didier Chassot Switzerland’s Ambassador to Tanzania . The final five-day module, which took place in person, provided a chance for the 20 participants from Tanzania’s Preventing and Combating of Corruption Bureau PCCB and the Zanzibar Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Authority ZAECA to demonstrate the leadership models and skills they had developed throughout the course. Delivered by our International Centre for Asset Recovery ICAR in partnership with AML Consulting Global , the modular Senior Leadership Development Programme covered topics including critical thinking and decision making, transformational change, leadership styles, developing teams, leading through conflict, and improving organisational culture. Strong leadership is possibly the single most important factor in the fight against corruption and other economic crimes. As Didier Chassot, Switzerland’s Ambassador to Tanzania, commented in his closing remarks: "Supporting the fight against corruption is a priority of the Swiss Government in Tanzania, and we are therefore delighted to have supported this very valuable training, which has equipped you with critical leadership skills. Senior leaders shape organisations, drive performance, and set organisational culture, and we trust that the skills and behaviours you have learned and demonstrated during the programme will help you set standards for others to follow and deliver change." Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, through the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation SDC and the Embassy of Switzerland in Tanzania, has been supporting ICAR’s assistance to Tanzania’s anti-corruption authorities for more than six years. Since then, the programme has successfully built capacity to investigate and prosecute corruption and to recover stolen assets through hands-on mentoring combined with training and institutional development advice. A new agreement was signed with ZAECA in June 2021, shortly before the training commenced, and with Zanzibar’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in January 2022.
Publications
Addressing Bribery and Associated Social Norms in Healthcare: Results of a Behaviour Change Intervention in Tanzania
This open-access, peer-reviewed journal article examines the results of a pilot behavioural intervention in Tanzania. The project tested a behavioural anti-corruption intervention to reduce bribery in a hospital. It targeted deeply ingrained social norms while also leveraging the social networks and influence of key staff members.
The research was funded by the Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). It was a collaboration between the Basel Institute on Governance, the UK Behavioural Insights Team, the University of Dar es Salam and the University of Utrecht.
Abstract
Practices of bribery in the delivery of public services become entrenched when they are driven by social norms of reciprocity.
The resulting economies of favours, which are common across diverse geographical regions, are resilient to conventional anti-corruption measures because they are underpinned by strong social pressures.
This article describes the results of a behaviour change intervention to address gift-giving as a form of bribery in a Tanzanian hospital. The intervention utilised environmental cues and a peer-led network approach to deliver messages aimed at disincentivising bribery.
An exit survey of hospital users indicates a reduction of the ‘gift-offering propensity score’, capturing self-declared behaviour, from 23% before implementation of the intervention to 13% afterwards. We find similar changes in the enabling norms score.
Semi-structured interviews with hospital users and health workers further support these findings.
These results suggest that practices and norms around bribery might be changed through a multi-pronged approach that addresses both the ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ side of bribery.
Research Case Study 5: Harnessing behavioural approaches against corruption
Social norms and behaviour change (SNBC) approaches are a promising complement to conventional anti-corruption strategies. Adopting a context-sensitive and nuanced approach is an essential ingredient for success.
We wanted to understand if and how behavioural approaches can promote anti-corruption outcomes, as well as conditions for success.
To do this we reviewed research from 2016–2022 on the use of behavioural approaches in anti-corruption practice. We also analysed our practical experience designing and piloting an intervention to tackle social norms of reciprocity which fuel bribery in health facilities in Tanzania.
Research case study 2: Leveraging informal networks for anti-corruption in East Africa
Citizens and business people may invest significant time and money in building informal networks with public officials to overcome public service delivery shortcomings and access business opportunities. Understanding these networks better can strengthen anti-corruption efforts.
This research case study gives a brief overview of our Public Governance team’s research in Uganda and Tanzania. Through interviews, the team explored when, how and why informal networks are built and used to access public services or business opportunities corruptly.
The research project described was carried out under the Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme (GI-ACE), funded with UK aid from the UK government. All results are freely shareable under a Creative Commons licence.
Research case study 1: Targeting corrupt behaviours in a Tanzanian hospital: A social norms approach
This research case study describes how a pilot behavioural anti-corruption intervention succeeded in reducing “gift giving” in a Tanzanian hospital. It targeted deeply ingrained social norms while also leveraging the social networks of key staff members.
This research project was funded by the Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence Programme (GI-ACE), funded with UK aid from the UK government. The project implementation was a collaboration between the Basel Institute on Governance, the UK Behavioural Insights Team, the University of Dar es Salam and the University of Utrecht.
All results are freely shareable under a Creative Commons licence.
Basel AML Index briefing: FATF grey-listing in Sub-Saharan Africa
This is a Basel AML Index briefing on countries in Sub-Saharan Africa subject to grey-listing by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) .
The briefing covers the impacts on their economic development, the process of grey-listing and what governments need to do to be removed from the list. It also touches on specific areas of concern for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) in Sub-Saharan Africa.
About jurisdiction briefings
As part of the FATF assessment process, a jurisdiction may be placed on a “grey list” (subject to increased monitoring) or “black list” (a high-risk jurisdiction subject to a call for action). This follows identified failings in how the jurisdiction addresses its money laundering and terrorist financing risks. Being placed on the FATF’s grey or black lists has a negative impact on a jurisdiction’s investment climate, trade and capital flows.
The Basel AML Index Expert Edition dashboard highlights a jurisdiction’s placement on the FATF grey or black lists for informational purposes, but these lists are not used when calculating its overall risk score.
As an additional service, from June 2022 the Basel AML Index therefore started to publish special briefings on jurisdictions delisted from the grey or black lists. This report on Sub-Saharan Africa complements the jurisdiction-specific briefings.
Learn more about the Basel AML Index at: index.baselgovernance.org