TRANSFORMING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM ON ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES INTO A POWERFUL AML/CFT MECHASNISM

 

The Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) will be organizing a Regional Training Workshop on Investigative Journalism in Economic and Financial Crimes, in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria, from 2^nd to 4^th August 2023.

The regional training is intended for journalists specialized in economic and financial crimes and investigative journalists from various categories of the media in GIABA Member States, namely TV, radio, print and electronic media, with a large domestic audience and international news coverage on crime, economy, finance and legal issues. The objective is not only to create a platform for interaction with the media on ML/TF issues and on GIABA's mandate, but also on security-related news in the West African region.

To get adapted to its context and the ongoing developments in its area of sovereignty, GIABA has accorded a central place to the most relevant targets to enhance ownership of the AML/CFT standards. Among these stakeholders are the media in general and investigative journalists, Law enforcement agencies as well as regulatory and supervisory authorities, in particular.

It is against this backdrop that GIABA, determined to build a strong alliance in AML/CFT with this segment of society, has established capacity building of journalists as a priority. This also contributes to creating and/or strengthening partnerships with their bodies, journalists' networks and individual journalists to raise awareness and support the public on the nefarious consequences of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (ML/TF) on the socio-economic development of Member States.

Beyond these media sensitization and training activities on AML/CFT in member States, the participants are currently providing support to GIABA in its activities for the benefit of AML/CFT communities and stakeholders.

At the end of the Abuja Workshop, the expected results will include greater visibility for GIABA as leader in the regional alliance against ML/TF in West Africa; a desire to investigate economic and financial crimes stimulated within the media; a more in-depth knowledge acquired by the heads of media organizations on the subject; an upsurge in the membership of the AML/CFT Journalists Platform, coupled with increased publication of AML/CFT-related  articles in West Africa as well as on GIABA's mandate and activities.

In retrospect, this on-site training session which is the 6^th  edition, follows those organized in in Assinie-Côte d'Ivoire in August 2022,  in Accra-Ghana in February 2022, in Monrovia-Liberia in 2019, in Saly-Senegal in 2017  and in Praia-Cabo Verde 2022.

For further information contact: abidjan@giaba.org / +2250758177749/+2347056547478