West Africa Leaks is the largest-ever collaboration of journalists from West Africa.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, in collaboration with the Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Reporting in West Africa (Cenozo) and more than a dozen reporters from 11 countries, spent months analyzing the 27.5 million documents that represent years of ICIJ data leaks: Offshore Leaks, Swiss Leaks, Panama Papers and Paradise Papers.
Many of the reporters involved in West Africa Leaks are the first in their country to explore the leaked data, a reflection of ICIJ’s commitment to grow its network of trusted reporters.
The data includes Swiss bank account details, emails, contracts and passports of some of West Africa’s most high-profile politicians and entrepreneurs. Complex financial spreadsheets also reveal details about how some of the world’s largest multinational corporations do business and may avoid taxes.
ICIJ, Cenozo and partners met in Dakar, Senegal, to launch the project. Reporters used collaborative platforms to share findings and information and to search through multiple terabytes that make up the different offshore leaks.
Special thanks to Cenozo and Open Society Initiative for West Africa (Osiwa).
Reporters:
Lead reporter: Will Fitzgibbon
Editors: Martha M. Hamilton, Fergus Shiel, Ben Hallman and Marina Walker Guevara
Engagement editor: Amy Wilson-Chapman
Online editor: Hamish Boland-Rudder
Fact checkers: Richard H.P. Sia and Margot Williams
Copy editor: Joe Hillhouse
Illustrations: Rocco Fazzari
Map design and development: Pierre Romera and Hilary Fung