The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has intensified efforts to combat financial misconduct by equipping journalists with investigative tools to expose Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) and advocate for fair taxation.
In a two-day training held in the Ashanti Region and funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 20 journalists were trained under the Ghana and West Africa Strategic Partnership Initiative.
Edward Cudjoe, Ashanti Regional Director of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), highlighted how IFFs — involving tax evasion, corruption, and money laundering — continue to sabotage Ghana’s economic development by draining critical public resources. He noted the mining sector, particularly artisanal and small-scale operations, as a major loophole exploited by criminal networks due to weak supervision.
Cudjoe stressed that journalists have a vital role to play by investigating and publishing fact-based stories that can help expose financial crimes and pressure authorities into action.
Benaiah Nii Commey Addo, Executive Director of Green Tax Youth Africa, reinforced the need for robust tax structures, pointing out that weak enforcement and outdated systems fuel tax evasion. He called on governments to invest in tax infrastructure to ensure revenue collection is efficient and equitable.
The training is part of a growing push to empower media as watchdogs in the fight against IFFs and to promote progressive taxation as a sustainable path to national development.
