The Africa Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), with support from the MacArthur Foundation, has convened a two-day sub-regional conference in Abuja to strengthen whistleblowing frameworks and advocate for whistleblower protection across West Africa.
Themed “Reducing Corruption in West Africa: The Importance of Whistleblowing and Whistleblower Protection Legislations,” the conference addresses the glaring gap in legal safeguards for whistleblowers across the 15-member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Speaking at the opening ceremony, AFRICMIL Coordinator, Chido Onumah, expressed concern over the lack of progress in the region, noting that Ghana remains the only ECOWAS country with a whistleblower protection law.
“Despite ECOWAS’s strong commitment to promoting transparent and accountable governance, it is embarrassing that member states have made little effort to enact whistleblower protection laws,” Onumah stated.
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Anti-corruption and accountability groups also decried the absence of legal protections for whistleblowers in Nigeria and other ECOWAS countries.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), represented by Chief of Staff Michael Nzekwe, stressed the need for legislative collaboration to establish comprehensive whistleblower laws.
Mr. Cheikh Toure, Country Representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Nigeria, underscored the critical role of robust reporting and protection systems in combating corruption.
“A strong whistleblower framework is a cornerstone of institutional accountability, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 16,” Toure said.
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