The Management of Realnews Magazine and Publications Limited, publishers of Realnews Magazine Online, has announced that Edwin W. Harris Jr, Director General of the ECOWAS Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa, Senegal, will deliver the Realnews 11th Anniversary Lecture.
Themed: “Threats of Illicit Funds Flow to the African Economy,” it holds at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos on November 7.
The Director General’s acceptance to deliver the lecture was communicated to Realnews in a letter dated September 25, 2023, which he personally signed.
“With the immense interest I have generated in illicit financial flow from Africa and its negative impact on the governance, economies and other social facets of the African people, I am pleased to confirm my participation and graciously accept your invitation,” Harris Jr. wrote.
Harris Jr. has over 16 years of progressive experience in the public sector and in non-profit structures with in-depth knowledge and skills in governance, transparency and financial crimes.
He has relevant skills on issues relating to governance, in the fight against money laundering, in the formulation of policies and the implementation of anti-corruption strategies.
From November 2019 to July 2022, he was Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Liberia.
Under his tenure and to his credit, he, among other things, successfully coordinated the validation and publication of Liberia’s National Risk Assessment report.
Until his assumption of duty at GIABA, Harris Jr. was a Lecturer at the University of Liberia.
The lecture will be chaired by Mohammed Bello-Koko, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, who will also moderate the panel session.
Realnews, a general interest magazine that thrives on investigative journalism, established the Realnews Anniversary Lecture Series to commemorate the best minds in the society and to tap from them to enrich the discourse in national development.
The 10th Anniversary lecture in 2022 on: “Drug Abuse among Youths in Africa: Implication for Nigerian Economy and 2023 Elections,” was delivered by Brigadier General Buba Marwa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, while the 9th Anniversary Lecture in 2021 was delivered by Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board on: “Nigeria in the Unfolding Integration of the African Market: The Oil and Gas Perspective.”
The 2020 Eighth Anniversary Lecture of Realnews was delivered by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on: “Managing COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: The Nigeria Experience,” with former President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana giving the 2019 Lecture on: “Beyond Politics: An Economic Narrative for West Africa.”
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, spoke on: “Political Transitions and Africa’s Economic Development: Preparations for Nigeria’s 2019 General Elections,” at the 2018 Lecture.
The 2017 Fifth Anniversary Lecture on: “African Leadership in a Turbulent Era,” was delivered by Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, formerMinister of Education and former World Bank Vice President.
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The 2016 Fourth Anniversary Lecture on: “Security and National Development in Plural Democratic Society,” was delivered by Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, former United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative to West Africa and Sahel, while the 2015 Realnews Third Anniversary Lecture was delivered by Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, on November 19, 2015 with the theme: “It’s The Nigerian Economy, Stupid?”
The Second Realnews Anniversary Lecture on: “Nigerian Democracy: Getting it Right in 2014,” was delivered by Professor Maurice Iwu, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.