By Rihana Adam, GNA
Accra, Feb. 5, GNA – Two anti graft organizations have organized a three-day training programme for investigative journalists to strengthen their reportage on illicit financial flows whiles ensuring the safety of whistleblowers
The Platform for the Protection of Whistle-blowers in Africa (PPLAAF), and Whistle-blowers and Journalists Safety International Centre (WAJSIC) held the training from February 2 to 4 in Accra, bringing together journalists from across Africa to enhance their skills in financial crime investigations, source protection, and ethical reporting.
Participants were taken through the critical role investigative journalism plays in combating illicit financial flows by probing information disclosed by whistle-blowers to promote transparency, accountability and good governance, while enabling referrals to judicial authorities.
The workshop focused on equipping journalists with practical tools to investigate financial crimes, trace beneficial ownership, analyse documents and records and use data journalism, open-source intelligence and artificial intelligence-assisted research in investigations.
Mr. Anas Aremeyaw Anas, an investigative journalist with Tiger Eye PI, addressed participants on the safety of investigative journalists, stressing the need for collaboration, ethical undercover methods and regulated covert techniques.
He highlighted key investigative tools including financial and beneficial ownership tracing, environmental and spatial techniques, cross-border collaborative reporting and impact-oriented investigations, while emphasising public interest, necessity, safety, ethical standards, credibility and verifiability.
Mr Anas also urged journalists to prioritise digital and physical safety, advising them to strip metadata from sensitive materials, use air-gapped devices for sensitive footage, and adopt rotating digital identities to survive in the evolving AI age.
Ms Sonia Rolley of PPLAAF led sessions on dealing with sources and whistle-blowers, with a focus on financial crimes, noting that “following the money” remains a matter of major public interest as many financial crimes were committed through complex corporate and accounting structures.
She outlined various forms of corruption, including conflict of interest, profiting from crime and money laundering and explained complex ownership and control structures involving shell companies, trusts, foundations, directors and beneficiaries.
Ms Rolley further guided participants on analysing financial statements, income statements and balance sheets to identify beneficial owners and trace illicit financial flows.
Mr. Samuel Bekoe of the Centre for Executive Development Africa (CEDA), provided insights into the Ghanaian landscape of financial crimes, including cyber-enabled fraud, the role of foreign criminal networks and Ghana’s position as a transit node in a global criminal web.
He discussed issues such as undue influence, misuse of insider information, misappropriation and embezzlement and explained legal arrangements including limited liability companies, shell companies, usufruct amongothers.
Ms Germin-Mae Hartley of PPLAAF addressed the legal and ethical dimensions of working with whistle-blowers, highlighting regional and international protocols, Ghana’s press freedom witness protection laws and the inherent conflicts journalists might face when handling sensitive sources.
The training also covered investigative planning and governance, source development and protection, undercover and field reporting safeguards, digital and data security, legal compliance, editorial control, publication strategy and post-publication risk management.
Organisers said the workshop reaffirmed the commitment of PPLAAF and its partners to supporting investigative journalism in Africa as a key pillar in the fight against corruption and financial crimes.
GNA
08 Feb. 2026
Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong