The Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), in collaboration with African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), held an intensive five-day training from February 26 to March 1, in Abuja, Nigeria, on investigating corruption and financial crime, and the role of civil society in whistleblowing and the fight against corruption and money laundering.
The training, which specifically targeted journalists and civil society organizations, was designed, on the one hand, to equip journalists focused on exposing corruption with the necessary investigative skills and the pivotal role of whistleblowers in investigative journalism, and on the other, enhance the understanding of civil society members on whistleblowing and whistleblower protection.
Over forty participants, including journalists from different news platforms and members of civil society organizations benefitted from the training.
Resource persons comprised international journalists and whistleblowing experts. They include Jimmy Kande, West Africa and Francophone Director, PPLAAF, Dakar, Senegal; Pusetso Morapedi, Southern Africa Director, PPLAAF, Johannesburg, South Africa; John Dell’Osso, Director of Investigations, PPLAAF, Washington DC, USA; and Christian Locka of Museba Journalism Project, Douala, Cameroon. Others are Dr. Chido Onumah Coordinator, AFRICMIL, Abuja Nigeria; Johnson Oludare, Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja, Nigeria; and Olayinka Aiyegbayo, former deputy director, ICPC, Abuja, Nigeria.
Seventeen lectures on various topics on investigative journalism, financial crime, whistleblowing and corruption were delivered at the training which also featured group work, practical exercise and discussions.
Participants gained insights into the challenges, risks, and socio-legal and professional consequences of disclosing sensitive information. A common feature was the keen interest they showed in the fight against corruption and other wrongdoing.
Through the training, journalists are now armed with the tools to effectively conduct investigations into illicit financial flows while ensuring the protection of whistleblowers, which are a key source of accessing specific information. Civil society members, with enhanced knowledge of whistleblowing as a vital democratic accountability tool, are determined to strengthen advocacy for whistleblower protection through legislation.
On their part, PPLAAF and AFRICMIL are satisfied that they have been able to use the training to raise awareness on the importance of whistleblowers in societies governed by the rule of law and provide practical tools for working with them.
All the participants received certificates for participating in the training, a repeat of which has been scheduled to hold later in the year in Lagos.
