Space for Change (S4C), a civil society organization advocating policy reforms in Nigeria's financial and civil sectors, has congratulated the Nigerian Government on its successful removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list.
The delisting was announced during the FATF Plenary Session held in Paris, France in October 2025, marking a major milestone in Nigeria's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing efforts.
Along with Nigeria, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Mozambique were also removed from the list after demonstrating significant progress in strengthening their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) frameworks.
According to the FATF, removal from the gray list demonstrates that the affected countries have effectively addressed identified strategic deficiencies and strengthened the integrity of their financial systems under the close monitoring of the International Cooperative Review Group (ICRG).
In a statement signed by Victoria Ibezim-Oheri, its Executive Director, Spaces for Change said it has been actively involved in Nigeria and Burkina Faso’s compliance journey, particularly in supporting reforms related to the non-profit sector.
The organization said these initiatives enhance the implementation of FATF Recommendation 8, which focuses on protecting the nonprofit sector from terrorism financing abuses, while ensuring that legitimate charitable activities are not hindered.
According to S4C, in 2022, Nigeria took a significant step by removing non-profit organizations from the list of obliged reporting entities and from the category of Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs).
According to S4C, these reforms contributed to improving Nigeria's compliance status and fostering a more enabling environment for civil operations.
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“Through these collective efforts, Nigeria has become the only West African country to achieve a fully compliant rating on FATF Recommendation 8.
“The country's removal from FATF's gray list reinforces its progress and reflects a strong commitment to technical compliance and operational effectiveness,” the statement said.
Space for Change congratulated both Nigerian and Burkinabé authorities on achieving this milestone, noting that the development will help ease financial restrictions on donations and attract more investor confidence.
“Space for Change is committed to ensuring that counter-terrorism measures across the subregion do not shrink civic space or limit the operations of civil society,” Ibezim-Oheri said.
