Dr Edwin Harris Jr., the Director General of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), a specialised ECOWAS institution, who gave the encouragement at the three-day regional training workshop at Bissau in Guinea-Bissau, said weak media coverage of AML/CFT issues continued to hamper efforts at curbing the menace across the region.

“Unfortunately, we continue to see poor media reportage on AML/CFT issues, a lack of due diligence in crafting stories and to some extent, misinformation among journalists and we hope the training will offer participants another opportunity to enhance their knowledge,” Mr Harris said.

He acknowledged the important role of journalists in public education and information sharing, and said the fight against Money Laundering (ML) and Terrorist Financing (TF) could not be fully effective without the active involvement of the media, especially investigative journalists, who were GIABA’s strategic allies.

“Your role in keeping watch, raising awareness and investigations, places you at the heart of GIABA’s push for transparency and accountability, as the media helps in uncovering illegal practices, alert the public, shape public opinion, challenge decision-makers, and strengthen governance,” he said.
GIABA’ s regional training, organised in collaboration with key partners of the host country, gathered 40 journalists from across ECOWAS Member States involving both print, electronic and online media, to strengthen their capacities in investigative reporting, particularly on AML/CFT.

It also seeks to share some regional initiatives in the fight against ML/TF, equip journalists with modern investigative techniques and consolidate a network of media professionals
committed to promoting transparency, safer and a more prosperous environment in West Africa.

Mr Harris encouraged journalists to go beyond exposing wrongdoing, to pursuing in-depth investigations into ML/TF activities within their countries, while building stronger networks among themselves.

“The fight against money laundering and terrorist financing will only be won if light prevails over darkness, and you journalists, are one of the most powerful beacons,” in illuminating the darkness of illicit financial flows, he said.

The training coincided with GIABA’s 25th anniversary since its establishment in 2000 by the authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to strengthen its member states’ capacities to prevent and control ML/TF in the region.

Reflecting on GIABA’s activities over the year, Mr Harris said through its 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, which aligned with ECOWAS’ Vision 2050, the institution had achieved remarkable results in the area of legal and institutional frameworks, helping to bring regulatory frameworks in line with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards and ensured the creation of Financial Intelligence Units in almost all Member States.

Again, GIABA has provided training for thousands of key stakeholders including magistrates, judges, lawyers, investigators, customs officers, bankers, insurers, capital market operators, regulators, civil society organisations, religious leaders, youth and students as well as women groups.

In terms of financial transparency, GIABA had championed beneficial ownership disclosure, followed up with countries to establish a public register of ultimate beneficial owners of companies to reduce grey areas exploited by criminals, he said.

GIABA had also strengthened partnerships with FATF, European Union, German Technical Cooperation (GIZ), African Development Bank (AfDB) and other development agencies to support Member States through technical assistance.

He said since 2009, GIABA had been training journalists in all ECOWAS member states attracting global attention, and pledged GIABA’s commitment towards continued efforts at building synergies with Member States and the media, to enhance resilience against threats of ML/TF within the region.

Madam Maria Conceicao Evoria, the Minister of Social Communication, Guinea-Bissau, who officially opened the training workshop, said illicit financial flows undermined economic interests and wellbeing of societies, hence the need for stakeholders to unite in the fight against economic and organised crimes within the region.

She commended the media for their commitment towards the fight against corruption and economic crimes in the region, urging them to remain courageous, knowledgeable, level-headed, as well as maintaining high ethical and journalistic standards, to unearth complex criminal activities of ML/TF and other illicit financial flows.

Mr Justino Sa, the President of Guinea-Bissau’s National Financial Information Processing Unit (CENTIF), emphasised the key role of investigative journalists in digging deeper through research among other tools, to unmask wrongdoers hiding in the shadows, saying the task cannot rest solely on government and regulators.

The training is being facilitated by prominent experts including Mr Lassine Fofana, of Cote d’Ivoire, Mrs Abigail Odozi Ogwezzy-Ndisika, a Nigerian Academician, Mr Hermenegildo Pereira, a Magistrate at Guinea-Bissau and Former Director of the Judicial Police, as well as Mr Timothy Melaye, the Acting Principal Officer for Communication and Advocacy at GIABA.

Christabel Addo, GNA Special Correspondent in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau