Global Investigative Journalism Conference continued on its third day with several sessions and choices for attendees to learn new knowledge and skills useful for the modern-day practice of the profession.

Among the topics treated are Digging into Government Contracting: Finding Patterns, Tracking Corruption, Criminal States and Kleptocracies; Tracking Political Extremism; and Indigenous Investigations

Others include Climate: Investigating Impacts; Climate: Investigating Causes; Investigating Food and Agriculture, Migration & Human Trafficking; Holding Algorithms Accountable Through Collaboration.

A publisher from Nigeria, Haruna Mohammed Salisu, told Wadata Media and Advocacy Centre(WAMAC) in an exclusive interview about the learning opportunity for him and his organisation.

Salisu publishes WkkiTimes, an online platform based in Bauchi, Northeast, Nigeria, focusing on accountability at subnational levels where reporters of national dailies rarely penetrate.

“I have learnt a lot. Usually, part of our work is to hold power to account, so in our effort to really consolidate on our capacity to hold power to account, we are trying to understand how most of our leaders in Nigeria loot our resources and then move them into off-shore havens and something like that, so part of the skills I have learnt is to track those funds from Nigeria to those havens that are usually used to hide illicit funds, so I have learnt a lot on that, because this is part of the problem that has affected Nigeria over the years.”

There’s also the aspect of human rights and funds tracking which the Wikkitimes publisher finds useful for providing solutions to some issues in his home country.  

”One other challenge that is bedeviling Nigeria, which is part of the global conversation is about the issue of climate change, environment, and all of that. And you realize that there are a lot of funds that are designated to address all these kinds of challenges. It is our responsibility really as journalists to follow those funds and to ensure that we are able to track and identify how these funds are utilized over the years to be able to hold power to account and be able to expose the corruption that is going on in that aspect”

Honours for Investigative Journalism Well Done

Apart from the sessions for learning, Global Investigative Journalism Network again recognized some works from different media outfits for their outstanding investigative journalism.

 ‘The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara,’ a documentary that exposed the banditry in Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria was among the two works recognised under the ‘Large Organization’ category. The production was by the @BBCAfrica Eye (Nigeria).