Francis Domo and Daisy Prempeh of Media Foundation West Africa. Photo: Jane Møller/IMS

Six months after the Programme for Investigative Reporting in West Africa (PAIR) was initiated in five West African countries, IMS speaks to its leading partner on the ground about what role PAIR can play for media in the region

Still in its initial phase, the peer-to-peer programme supporting investigative journalism in West Africa has already come a long way. In the six months since PAIR began, over 100 journalists have attended national introductory seminars about PAIR in the programme’s pilot countries Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.Visit PAIR's website here.

Media Foundation West Africa (MFWA), a regional NGO based in Ghana, is implementing parts of the programme on the ground and plays a key logistical role.  

Access to information a challenge

IMS meets Daisy Prempeh, MFWA Ghana coordinator and Francis Domo, national correspondent for MFWA in Ivory Coast during a visit to Ivory Coast. Francis Domo is also responsible for alerting the MFWA and partners to violations against journalists in West Africa.

 - It is useful to have PAIR here in the Ivory Coast as most of the journalists here are affiliated with political parties, they both agree.

- Journalists are not free from their links to political parties. Most newspapers are like this. We lack objective news and the possibility of shining the light on the truth of what is happening. Investigative journalism is the best way to do that.

- We read accusations without facts and defamation is widespread in papers. Journalists should have access to information and facts and be able to work in a professional manner. This is not possible today. Access to information is a major challenge to investigative journalism.

Building trust in local institutions

The aim of PAIR is to strengthen the professional skills of journalists and media houses in the field of investigative reporting. The goal is also boost the institutional capacity of MFWA, allowing the NGO to provide more and sustainable support to local journalists.  

MFWA's involvement in the PAIR programme is a major new element in their daily work, according to Daisy Prempeh and Francis Domo of MFWA.

-  It is very good for MFWA that IMS and the Danish Association of Investigative Journalists (FUJ) have involved us in this. It will help journalists start good investigations. It will help people now that a local institution has funds – we will have a platform to offer them from which they can write.

- At the same time we also have a media development fund (WAMDEF) which the organisation Freevoice are providing funds for and MDLF also will invest in. So journalists could also use these funds in combination with PAIR. Journalists will place us very high on their list. E.g. radio people call us all the time and they trust us to give factual information. It all gives us popularity.

- With PAIR we can also create a base of good media lawyers and all other relevant matters we deal with in PAIR. E.g. also it gives us experience in coordinating meetings with media participants. Local journalists see us as good resource persons. This is good – and programmes like this allows us to be able to help them.

About Media Foundation West Africa (MFWA)

MWFA is a regional, independent, non-governmental organisation based in Accra, Ghana. It was established in 1997 to defend and promote the rights and freedoms of the media, and generally, to help expand the boundaries of freedom of speech and expression in West Africa.