Defining Beneficial Ownership: Implications for Preventing Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion Related IFFs in Africa

Defining Beneficial Ownership is a pioneering book providing the first comprehensive comparative legal study of beneficial ownership (BO) definitions and implementation in Africa, anchored in international frameworks such as Financial Action Tax Force Recommendations, the UN Convention against Corruption, the OECD’s Global Forum standards, the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directives, and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

The fight against illicit financial flows (IFFs) in Africa hinges on a simple question: Who ultimately owns and controls companies and assets? Across tax, anti-money laundering (AML), and corporate governance regimes, the concept of BO is central to identifying the natural persons behind legal structures. Yet, definitions, thresholds, and disclosure obligations vary widely between jurisdictions, creating exploitable gaps.