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The Fourth Estate’s investigative report, which revealed how political appointees of the Akufo-Addo administration and New Patriotic Party officials scrambled to mine in forest reserves, has been named one of the top three finalists for the 2025 African Investigative Journalist of the Year Award.
The convenor for the African Investigative Journalism Conference, Beauregard Tromp, announced the news to Seth J. Bokpe and Edmund Agyemang Boateng, the journalists who authored the report.
“I am pleased to inform you that you are finalists in the AIJC awards to be held as part of the conference running from 5-7, 2025,” he wrote in an email.
The awards ceremony will take place on November 7, 2025, at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the two runners-up and the winner will be announced. The ceremony is the highlight of the African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC). The conference celebrates excellence in investigative journalism across the continent. The AIJC serves as a vital platform for journalists from across Africa and beyond to network, share groundbreaking investigations, and engage with experts on pressing global issues. The upcoming conference is the 21st edition.
According to the organizers of the awards, which is in its third year, this year’s edition “received a record number of submissions, making the selection process intensely competitive”.
The convenor of the judging panel, Gwen Lister, stated that “the judges were impressed with the high quality of the entries this year.” And as a result, faced difficulties in selecting the finalists.
The other judges on the panel include Beauregard Tromp, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Maggie Michael from Egypt; media pioneer, Fernando Lima from Mozambique, and veteran investigative journalist, Hamadou Tidiane Sy from Senegal. According to the organizers, the panel prioritised work that revealed untold stories, held power to account, questioned public officials, and served the public interest.
The nominated story
The Fourth Estate’s story, Forest Invasion: Companies owned by Wontumi, Kumasi mayor & others scramble to mine in Ghana’s forest reserves, exposed how former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government enacted a law that incentivised politicians and politically exposed persons (PEPs) to secure mining leases in ecologically vital areas.
This law was passed despite Ghana’s 2016 Forestry Development Master Plan, which aims to phase out mining in forest reserves by 2035, and other commitments under the ECOWAS Environmental Action Plan (2020-2026) to protect biodiversity. The investigation details a scramble by companies linked to high-profile figures, including New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman for the Ashanti Region, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Wontumi); former Kumasi Mayor, Samuel Pyne; and other officials to obtain prospecting and mining licenses in prized forest reserves, including sites of global biodiversity significance.
The report’s revelations sparked widespread outrage and concrete action. Following its publication, five civil society organisations and an individual sued the government, demanding the suspension of mining licenses held by NPP officials and other implicated parties. Additionally, the Ghana Institute of Foresters(GIF), an umbrella body of forestry experts, petitioned former President Akufo-Addo to withdraw all licenses granted for prospecting and mining within forest reserves, citing violations of environmental laws and the urgent need to safeguard Ghana’s natural heritage.
This is the second year in a row that The Fourth Estate’s investigations have made it to the top three of the AIJC’s African Investigative Journalist of the Year Awards.
Last year, The Fourth Estate’s groundbreaking report, The GHS 3 Billion Lie and the Billion Dollar Contract, was honoured as the second-best African Investigative Journalism report at the prestigious awards.
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