Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, the Executive Director at NewsBridge Africa, a non-profit media organization committed to fostering journalistic excellence across Africa, has successfully trained over 20 selected journalists in Ghana on investigative reporting related to illicit financial flows (IFFs), with funding support from GIZ.
Data indicates that in 2015, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) estimated that Ghana lost $3.2 billion to trade misinvoicing, which includes $758 million in import over-invoicing, $722 million in import under-invoicing, $117 million in export over-invoicing, and $1.6 billion in export under-invoicing.
The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) estimates that Ghana loses $702 million annually to IFFs in the extractive sector. In the area of gold and cocoa, a study by Ghanaian researchers estimated that Ghana lost $6.7 billion from gold exports and $2.3 billion from cocoa exports between 2013 and 2016. A 2019 audit of Ghana’s Customs Management System found that $1.8 billion was transferred offshore without any goods being traded. Additionally, an investigation by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) revealed that $1,147,350,106.74 flowed out illicitly from gold export companies between 2019 and 2021.
These issues surrounding illicit financial flows highlight the need for journalists across the country to investigate and change the narrative. This has caught the attention of Mr. Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, an investigative journalist and deputy chairperson of The Africa Editors Forum. He is widely recognized for his extensive work on anti-corruption, electronic waste, and the exploitation of natural resources in Ghana, and he seeks funding from GIZ to train journalists across the country to combat this issue.
Speaking exclusively to Word News after the three-day training at the True Vine Hotel in Kumasi, Mr. Dogbevi noted that illicit financial flow has become a serious issue, causing countries like Ghana to lose vast amounts of money. He highlighted activities such as the granting of tax incentives to multinational companies, tax exemptions, and money laundering, all of which contribute to these losses. “As journalists, we have a responsibility to draw attention to these issues so they can be corrected. It is the work of journalists to shed light on illicit financial flows globally, which has now brought attention to the problem, leading to a global effort,” he stated.
He emphasized the various angles from which journalists can fight this menace, asserting that their role cannot be overemphasized. “They are major players in the effort to curb illicit financial flows, which is why training journalists and equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills is extremely important,” he added.
Rabiu Alhassan, a Ghanaian journalist and fact-checker who works with FactCheck Ghana, an independent fact-checking organization, conducted training on investigative tools and visualization techniques that can be used to verify information in the form of videos, pictures, and audio clips. He advised journalists to be vigilant, especially as the 2024 elections approach, warning that misleading websites may arise. “It is the duty of journalists to verify and certify these websites before consuming information from such portals,” he cautioned.
Mr. Francis Kokutse, one of Ghana’s seasoned journalists with 42 years of experience, also provided training on the concepts and structure of news reporting, including how journalists can cultivate sources.
Source: mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya