Call for participation to West African journalists for an online workshop on organized crime

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), in partnership with the Institute for Security Studies, is implementing, in close coordination with ECOWAS, the project Organized Crime: West African Response to Trafficking (OCWAR-T). The project is coordinated by the German Agency for International Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ) and funded by the European Union and the German Federal Foreign Office.

As part of its mission to shed light on the political economy of transnational organized crime in West Africa, an in particular on the links between illicit markets, instability and conflict ; GI-TOC’s West Africa Observatory, together with its partners the Cellule Norbert Zongo du Journalisme d’Investigation en Afrique de l’Ouest (CENOZO) and the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), aims to strengthen the capacity of journalists in the region to conduct investigations into organized crime.

Journalists play a vital role in mobilizing their audiences to understand the issues surrounding illicit economies and the risks and impacts they pose to communities. This requires that journalists themselves understand these issues, and have the tools to conduct evidence-based and in-depth investigations. This is the purpose of this half-day online workshop for West African journalists members or affiliated to CENOZO and affiliated (including journalists from Cameroon).

This workshop is the first in a series of five hybrid events, the following of which will focus on specific criminal markets, namely illicit gold mining, illicit financial flows linked to human smuggling, online child sexual exploitation, and arms trafficking.

General theme: The challenges of organized crime in West Africa and how to conduct investigations 

Specific topics: 

1. Organized crime: general overview of the phenomenon in West Africa and its impact on the population
2. Journalistic investigation of organized crime in West Africa: the case of wildlife trafficking

Date: June 16, 2023.
Time: 09 h to 12 h 30 GMT.
Languages: French, English and Portuguese.
Location: Online (on Zoom). Click here to register.

About partner organizations

The Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GITOC) is an independent civil society organization founded in 2011 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. GITOC’s aim is to promote further debate and innovative approaches, which form the basis of a global strategy against organized crime. Established in 2021, GI-TOC’s West Africa Observatory strives to shed light on the political economy of transnational organized crime in the region, focusing on the links between illicit economies, instability and conflict. To do so, it works in partnership with and supports civil society across the region. Click here to learn about the history and mission of the Global Initiative.

The Cellule Norbert Zongo du journalisme d’investigation en Afrique de l’Ouest (CENOZO), created in July 2015, in Burkina Faso, is the largest investigative journalism platform in West Africa. It aims to help build the capacity of West African investigative journalists through training, financial and technical support for investigation in various fields such as corruption, organized crime, bad governance, human rights violations and the environment. It also aims to publish investigations, provide mentoring and networking for investigative journalists, and offer legal assistance to those prosecuted for their work. Click here to find out more about CENOZO’s work.

The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) is a U.S.-based international investigative journalism network of 244 member organizations in 90 countries that support and consolidate investigative journalism worldwide. Its aim is to consolidate training and the sharing of information and contacts among investigative journalists and data journalists. The network provides resources and a network of services to investigative journalists worldwide; publishes the latest tools, techniques and opportunities in investigative journalism and data journalism; helps journalists to collaborate; assists in the formation and economic viability of investigative journalism and data journalism organizations; supports and promotes best practice in investigative journalism and data journalism. More on GIJN here.