Bissau: The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) is set to welcome approximately 40 journalists from 15 ECOWAS member states to Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, for a regional training workshop focused on investigating economic and financial crimes.

According to Ghana News Agency, the three-day training, scheduled from September 22-24, will include participants from print, electronic, and online media. The workshop aims to enhance the journalists' skills in investigative reporting, particularly related to Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT). Additionally, it seeks to foster a stronger partnership between the media and GIABA to effectively disseminate information on AML/CFT issues and motivate journalists to conduct in-depth investigations into Money Laundering (ML) and Terrorist Financing (TF) activities in their respective countries.

In a press release, GIABA emphasized the crucial role journalists play in combating economic and financial crimes, as they determine the level of prominence given to stories on ML/TF. The training is designed to empower participants to proactively expose these corrupt practices.

The release highlighted that this training builds on previous efforts by GIABA to engage with the media, including the establishment of the Regional Network of Journalists on Economic and Financial Crimes in 2010 in Sierra Leone. GIABA stressed the importance of involving the media in the fight against financial crime to ensure regional stability, transparency, and accountability.

The training will include plenary sessions, case studies, group exercises, and role plays led by AML/CFT experts and practitioners. This initiative is essential in equipping the media to effectively serve as watchdogs against ML/TF in West Africa.

GIABA, a West African regional body established in December 2000 by the authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, is a specialized institution dedicated to combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing. Headquartered in Senegal, GIABA functions as a Financial Action Task Force Styled (FATF-Styled) Regional Body, collaborating with partners to strengthen the capacities of member states in implementing international AML/CFT standards through monitoring compliance, facilitating cooperation, and providing technical assistance.