Tamale: Dr. Bishop Akolgo, a Consultant on Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs), has called on the government to block loopholes aiding IFFs, aiming to harness adequate resources for national development. He emphasized that IFFs are diverting resources away from essential services like education, health facilities, and roads, weakening the government's capacity to support vulnerable citizens.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Akolgo made this appeal during a sensitisation workshop held in Tamale for selected journalists in the Northern Region. The workshop focused on a Guide for Journalists on IFFs, Progressive Taxation, Resource-Based Lending, and Domestic Resource Mobilisation Reporting in Ghana. Organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) with support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) through Oxfam in Ghana, the event was part of the Tax for Development Strengthening Civil Society and Media for Fiscal Justice project.
Dr. Akolgo explained that IFFs undermine the country's negotiation power with development partners, forcing reliance on external aid. He stressed that with stronger inter-agency coordination, Ghana could seal the leakages and mobilize sufficient domestic resources for development projects. He urged state institutions like the Bank of Ghana, Ministry of Finance, Ghana Revenue Authority, Financial Intelligence Centre, Ghana Audit Service, and civil society organizations to collaborate in tackling the issue.
Participants at the workshop were educated on core concepts and definitions of IFFs, investigative techniques, critical tools for media practice, and ethical considerations to enhance their reporting on fiscal justice. Madam Rosemond Ebi-Adwoa Aryeetey, Senior Programme Manager for Media, Democracy and Good Governance at MFWA, highlighted the training's importance, stating it would empower journalists to effectively contribute to the fight against IFFs.
Mr. Yakubu Abdul-Majeed, Northern Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), commended MFWA and its partners for the initiative. He noted that it deepened journalists' understanding of IFFs and their implications, encouraging participants to leverage the training to improve their investigative and reporting techniques for equitable distribution of national resources.
