Abuja, Nigeria — The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has concluded plans to hold a two-day sub regional conference on whistleblowing and whistleblower protection in West Africa. The conference, which holds Tuesday November 26 and Wednesday November 27, in Abuja, will be the first of its kind in the West African sub region.
In a press statement, Coordinator of AFRICMIL, Dr. Chido Onumah, said, “The conference will bring together delegates from the Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA), key civil society actors, media, security, law enforcement and anti-corruption organizations, government agencies, and development partners, to explore the theme, ‘Reducing Corruption in West Africa through Whistleblowing and Whistleblower Protection Legislations’.”
According to the press statement, renowned criminologist and expert in security and criminal justice sector governance, Professor Etannibi E. Alemika, will deliver the keynote address at the conference. Professor Alemika, a former professor of Criminology and Sociology of Law at the University of Jos, has published extensively on various topics including philosophy and sociology of law, criminological theory, and police and policing.
Other dignitaries expected to attend the conference include the Minister of Finance, Mr. Adebayo Olawale Edun, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, Mr. Cheikh O. Toure, Country Representative UNODC Nigeria, along with other heads of government and international bodies.
The conference will feature panel discussions and promises to be a watershed moment in West Africa’s fight against corruption, particularly with regards to using whistleblowing as an anti-corruption tool as well as a means of advancing human rights through freedom of expression. Additionally, the conference will provide a platform for stakeholders to share experiences, build partnerships, and forge a united front against corruption and impunity.
Whistleblowers from across the West African sub regionare expected to share their experiences at the conference, enabling participants to forge a way forward with regards to recommendations on whistleblower protection legislation. As such, participants drawn from various countries in West Africa and beyond will share best practices in whistleblower protection.
A non-governmental organisation dedicated to media, information, research, advocacy, and training, AFRICMIL, through its whistleblowing project tagged Corruption Anonymous (CORA), has been working with various stakeholders to promote whistleblowing as an anti-corruption tool since the Nigerian government introduced the whistleblowing policy in December 2016 as a strategy to fight corruption and promote good governance and accountability in the country.
