Investigate

Our work with investigative journalists focuses on early- to mid-career journalists. We aim to support them to develop their expertise in investigating and reporting on cases of grand corruption and the processes for returning that money. We further help them to develop stories and to pitch and publish these in leading news outlets.

Since 2017, we have run investigative journalism support programmes that have trained and mentored over 150 journalists and supported more than 90 stories. Our particular focus is on cross-border stories, that investigate the issue from multiple angles. All our trainings include journalists from different countries and regions and the stories we support are cross-border.

Alongside this, we have developed two Investigative Handbooks, designed to provide readers with an overview of state of the art practices in investigative journalism with a focus on illicit financial flows and asset recovery.

The Stories

Below is a selection of some of the stories published as a result of our Investigate programmes.

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The Russian Escape

Between 2022 and 2023, CiFAR collaborated with European investigative media—including the EIC and with support from OCCRP—to publish a series of stories on the enforcement of sanctions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Sanctions applied against Russian individuals are being undermined by legal loopholes and a lack of transparency. In several EU nations, investigations revealed that billions in assets—including yachts and real estate—were transferred to family members just days before owners were blacklisted. This practice allowed high-profile individuals to shield their wealth from being frozen, raising questions about the actual effectiveness of current European enforcement measures.

The investigative group, featuring investigative media from France, Spain, and Italy, examined the tactics used to hide these assets and the lack of public disclosure across jurisdictions. Their story highlights how these discrepancies prevent effective monitoring and allow wealth to move illicitly across borders despite international restrictions.

Read more here.

How the rush for the "green" mineral impacts the rural communities in West Africa

May 2023

Lithium is a material on the up. Used in everyday electronic devices (laptops, telephones) and considered essential to the ecological transition (through electric cars, for example), it is increasingly in demand. But this success is putting more and more pressure on the countries that produce this mineral, particularly in rural areas.

Alix Smidman, Jack Wolf, two participants of CiFAR’s Investigate West Africa programme, have partnered with Noel Konan, an investigative journalist based in Côte d’Ivoire, and investigated how the drive for lithium was causing conflict and crop destruction in rural communities across West Africa. They have collected the doubts, anger and concerns of local residents, some of whom are beginning to lose belief in the benefits of these operations for the region.

Supported by the Journalism Fund, and mentored by Raf Custer, this investigation is available in English on openDemocracy, on Africa Briefing, and in French on Enquête Media.

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No support for women shea butter producers despite a promise of USD 3.6 million program from Denmark

January 2023

Women producing shea butter live for the most in very precarious situations. Nigeria, one of the largest shea nut producers in the world, is no exception: to the extent that the quality and quantity of the product are affected by the conditions of production. As a result, Denmark, which is one of the main exporters of West African shea butter, invested several million Euros in 2019 in a program to develop production and make the most of the vast lands used in the country for this purpose. The 4-years project was however terminated well before its original end date and seems to have had a limited impact.

The investigative group who wrote this story was formed of journalists from Denmark, Nigeria and Burkina Faso. They looked at the reasons behind the abrupt termination of the Denmark program in 2020 as well as its effective results. Their story also questions the social impact of Denmark’s financial aids in the shea sector in Nigeria and Burkina, which have been accused of encouraging child labour and facilitating modern slavery.

Click here or here to read the story in English, and here in French. This investigation was led by Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi and Nelly Kalu and supported by the Journalism Fund.

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Investigate Manuals

Investigate I

The Investigate series is designed to provide readers with an overview of state-of-the-art practices in investigative journalism, with a focus on illicit financial flows and asset recovery. Our Introduction to Investigative Journalism manual aims to cover points that we have identified as being important for investigating grand corruption, financial crime and asset recovery, the main areas of investigative reporting useful for, namely: theoretical and research frameworks, investigative resources for deep web research, databases and access to information, as well as digital safety. Three supporting case-studies have been added as an illustration of the use of these tools and techniques, based on three investigative cross-border stories published by some of our trainees. This last part is designed to provide a “behind-the-scenes” overview of the investigative work of these three journalists that, we hope, will be useful for current and new early career investigative journalists.

Investigate II

This is the second instalment of Investigate: The Manual and aims to provide additional knowledge and tools that are particularly relevant for investigating grand corruption, financial crime and asset recovery. It includes an overview of integrity and legal protections for journalists, outlines the fundamentals of fact-checking investigations, and addresses physical safety for investigative journalists. As gender imbalance continues to be a major challenge in journalism, there is a chapter dedicated to current challenges faced by women journalists working in newsrooms, including tools to mitigate gender disparities in the field.