Uganda’s FIA first in Africa to earn ISO 27001 certification
Uganda’s Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) has become the first financial intelligence unit in Africa to achieve ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, the international standard for information security management.
The certification, awarded in September 2026, was announced on 29 October at an event at the FIA’s headquarters in Kampala, attended by finance minister Henry Musasizi and other government officials.
It confirms that the FIA has put in place information security management systems that meet global standards for identifying risks, protecting sensitive data and preventing unauthorised access.
Samuel Were Wandera, executive director of the FIA, said the certification followed a year-long process and showed that the authority’s technology systems meet international security standards.
The FIA receives confidential financial intelligence from reporting institutions, analyses it and shares it with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to support investigations into money laundering, terrorist financing and other financial crimes.
The certification is expected to strengthen confidence among financial institutions, investigators and international partners that information shared with the FIA is protected to international standards.
The process was supported by the National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U) and the World Bank under the Uganda Digital Acceleration Project, which funds improvements to digital infrastructure and information security across government institutions.
John Tumusiime, acting director for information security services at NITA-U, said the FIA was chosen for the programme after showing the organisational readiness, technical capacity and information security maturity needed for certification.
Musasizi said strong information security is important for protecting national interests and supporting economic growth. He added that secure digital systems build investor confidence, boost productivity and improve the business environment.
FATF evaluation ahead
The certification comes as Uganda prepares for the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) 2028 mutual evaluation, which will assess how effective the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures are.
Uganda was removed from the FATF grey list in 2024 after addressing weaknesses in its financial crime framework. It must now show continued progress in areas including financial investigations, prosecutions, enforcement of financial sanctions and recovery of the proceeds of crime.
At the same event, the FIA launched a Client Service Charter. The charter sets service standards, timelines, complaints procedures and performance monitoring for how the authority deals with institutions that submit financial information or rely on its services.
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