Highlights
Here is a selection of stories and investigations produced as part of the programme. Please check the French and Arabic highlights pages for articles in these languages.
Follow The Money: Report of the Media regulation in Kenya, Tanzania Uganda and Zambia and its implications for reporting on illicit financial flows and tax abuse
Media freedom is increasingly under threat as governments exploit laws and policies to suppress dissenting voices and control information. By enacting restrictive legislation, authorities stifle investigative journalism, censor critical reporting, and curtail the right to free expression on Illicit Financial Flows. This is done using vague defamation or national security regulations, they intimidate journalists and media outlets, leading to self-censorship and a chilling effect on reporting on the subject. This report was developed by the Thomson Reuters Foundation under its Wealth of Nations programme, supported by NORAD (the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation). It sought to assess and outline the basic legal framework regulating online, print and broadcast media in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. It presents applicable laws, case law and existing ‘soft’ law and the extent to which they affect reporting on illicit financial flows or tax abuse in the target jurisdictions with the aim of helping journalists and civil society understand the legal and institutional framework they operate in. The legal research and analysis for this report was facilitated by TrustLaw and carried out by lawyers from Bowmans Tanzania Ltd, Bowmans Coulson Harney LLP (Kenya), AF Mpanga Advocates, and DLA Piper Africa - Chibesakunda & Co.
FEATURED ARTICLE: Obey Manayiti - Porous borders: How Zimbabwe loses millions to smuggling syndicates
Obey writes about Zimbabwe's potential lost millions in revenue due to smuggling syndicates operating in the north-eastern border of the country. The article was published in Zimbabwe's The Standard, on 17 June 2018.
FEATURED HIGHLIGHT: Gideon Sarpong - Missing Gold: How Ghana lost over $6 billion in gold export revenue to major trading partners
Gideon Sarpong writes about Ghana's reported losses due to gold smuggling.The article was published in iWatch Africa on 29 May 2018.
FEATURED ARTICLE: Richard Abbey - Illegal fishing ripping sector apart
Richard Abbey explores how illegal fishing is damaging a lucrative sector in his native Ghana. The article was published in the B&FT Online on 28 May 2018.
FEATURED ARTICLE: Obey Manayiti - The Chiadzwa underworld: How gems smuggling is thriving in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean journalist Obey Manayiti writes about diamond smuggling in his home country:The article was published on 11 March 2018 in The Standard (Zimbabwe).
FEATURED ARTICLE: Tehillah Niselow - Tech giants’ tax avoidance hurts South Africa’s media
Tehillah Niselow, writing in South Africa's Power 98.7, reveals how tech titans are not paying their fair share of tax in the country. Her revealing article was published on 27 June 2018.
FEATURED HIGHLIGHT - Malawi: Rex Chikoko reveals losses from railway contract
Rex Chikoko, of The Nation, analyses the deal stuck between Malawi’s government and a Brazilian mining company, in which the country appears to have lost out.
Tax Inspectors Without Borders initiative reported across Africa
The joint OECD and UNDP initiative, aimed at strengthening developing country tax audit knowledge, has been covered by journalists from Botswana to Nigeria.
Malawi: Grace Thipha examines mining revenue losses
Grace Thipha, of The Times in Malawi, writes about the country’s reported losses in potential revenue due to the tax regime offered to mining company Paladin.
Malawi: Collins Mtika reports on illegal timber trade
Writing for Malawi 24, Collins Mtika explores how Chinese investors, aided by Malawians, have been illegally harvesting and trading the country’s hard wood.
