ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS AND DOMESTIC RESOURCE MOBILISATION IN THE EXTRACTIVES
Illicit financial flows (IFFs) are a challenge that continues to plague the development of
many countries on the African continent. While it has been acknowledged that there is no
universal definition, IFFs are defined as involving the transfer of financial resources earned
through illegal activities such as corruption, transactions involving contraband goods,
criminal activities and efforts aimed at sheltering wealth from tax administrations[1]. They
therefore have the cumulative effect of facilitating the cross-border movement of monies
obtained illegally[2]. The Report on High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows[3] defines
IFFs as money that is illegally earned, transferred or utilized, originating from three main
sources, namely: commercial tax evasion; criminal activities; and theft by corrupt
government officials. Commercial tax evasion includes trade misinvoicing and abusive
transfer pricing, while criminal activities include drug trade, human trafficking and
smuggling of contraband.