01005nam a2200133   4500100001200000245008100012260003500093300000800128520062100136650003000757856006400787942000700851999001300858  aEke, E.  aECOWAS Countries Lose $345bn Yearly to Illicit Financial,Flows,Nigeria Leads  aNigeriabRipples Nigeriac2016  a1p.  aThe article unpacks GFI quarterly assessment report which revealed that Nigeria leads the pack of ECOWAS countries that have been losing money yearly due to illegal financial transactions involving local and foreign companies. The report reveals that the region with an estimated population of 335 million people, which is about one-third of the population of sub-Saharan Africa, yearly, suffers 78 per cent loss of its GDP, put at $345 billion, through this process while Nigeria suffers the biggest hit, with a loss of over $178 billion, being part of which has led to the worst economic recession in its history.   aIllicit Wealth, Poverty,   uiffoadatabase.trustafrica.org/iff/ECOWAS countries lose.pdf  cNA  c849d849