Accessibility Settings

color options

monochrome muted color dark

reading tools

isolation ruler
» Video

Resource

How Africa Connects to Your Story

More than ever before, investigative stories develop reporting strands that land far away from their points of origin. A probe into a killing at a mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo can lead to the London headquarters of one of the leading diamond companies in the world. An investigation into corruption in Liberia could lead to a law firm or finance company in Central America. Similarly, a story on wildlife trafficking in Asia can trace its origins in South Africa.

Consequently, watchdog journalists often need a helping hand to complete investigations by accessing information from parts of the world that they cannot easily access. In Africa, more than in most other parts of the world, the hurdles that journalists have to overcome to report beyond their own countries or continent are numerous, from financial limitations and visa restrictions to technological barriers. Foreign reporters also encounter unique challenges in Africa that local journalists have the skills and experience to circumvent.

Collaborative investigative journalism, therefore, is growing in importance as a mutually beneficial tool for reporters and newsrooms keen to tell stories in or about Africa, as shown by recent examples from the International Consortium for Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and partners in southern Africa, Africa Uncensored and Lighthouse Reports, the Pulitzer Center, and the Associated Press.

As an extension of its Africa Focus Week series, GIJN brought together African journalists who have done impactful collaborative investigations to discuss how to connect the dots between Africa and your next watchdog story. Our panel of experts use their own experiences and insights to identify useful tips for you to investigate multinational misconduct, natural resource exploitation, and impunity beyond borders.

The panel included Grace Ekpu, a documentary photographer, filmmaker, and Associated Press investigative reporter; Cynthia Gichiri, a reporter and producer with Africa Uncensored; Madeleine Ngeunga, Africa editor for the Pulitzer Center; and Micah Reddy, Africa coordinator for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Dinesh Balliah, director of the Wits Centre for Journalism, moderated the panel.

Republish this article


Material from GIJN’s website is generally available for republication under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. Images usually are published under a different license, so we advise you to use alternatives or contact us regarding permission. Here are our full terms for republication. You must credit the author, link to the original story, and name GIJN as the first publisher. For any queries or to send us a courtesy republication note, write to hello@gijn.org.

Read Next

Sustainability

GIJN Urges Restoration of USAID Funds 

GIJN calls upon elected officials in the US to reverse the catastrophic action of withholding USAID funds from independent investigative newsrooms around the world.