The Chairperson of the African Union Advisory Board against Corruption, Edem Senanu, has called on young people across the continent to take a leading role in promoting integrity and combating corruption, stressing that Africa’s future depends on the active participation of its youthful population.
Speaking during an X space organized by the Bright Future Alliance in collaboration with the Ghana Anti Corruption Coalition (GACC) to mark the 2026 African Anti-Corruption Day, the Commissioner noted that Africa’s youthful population presents a unique opportunity to drive meaningful change.
“The demographics of our continent show that… if we are to make any strides that are concrete, we need to mobilize and harness youthful people as a strategic way of addressing issues that confront our continent,” he said, noting that people between the ages of 18 and 35 now make up nearly 60 per cent of Africa’s population.
The Commissioner explained that while many African Union member states have enacted laws in line with the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC), the expected decline in corruption has not materialized.
“The commensurate reduction in corruption and its impact on various economies and societies is not what is evident,” he observed.
According to him, the gap lies not in legislation but in the absence of integrity among individuals entrusted with public responsibility.
“The more we reflected on the issue, the more we concluded that there’s a missing factor which we believe integrity is what is missing,” he said.
“People having the values of honesty, of hard work, of integrity… doing the right thing, and influencing others within your space or your sphere to also do the right thing” he added.
He stressed that integrity requires consistency in leadership regardless of political affiliation or position.
“I will not, when I’m in the opposition, say one thing, and then when I get into government, I do the other thing,” he stressed, urging leaders to uphold ethical principles irrespective of the offices they occupy.
Edem Senanu also encouraged young professionals to generate practical recommendations that would strengthen Africa’s anti-corruption agenda and contribute to the African Union’s long-term development blueprint, Agenda 2063.
“I am hoping that after this conversation… we will have some very bright recommendations that will feed into our own roadmap on what Africa needs to do differently so that we can have a different tomorrow,” he said.
Reaffirming the urgency of action, he reminded listeners on the space that the vision of “The Africa We Want” begins with present-day decisions.
“We are headed towards Agenda 2063, the Africa we want. Tomorrow begins today. The actions that flow from recommendations of today… will all be critical if we want to see the socio-economic development of this continent and its member states,” he concluded.
The theme chosen to commemorate the African Anti corruption Day 2026 is “Scaling up integrity and Anti Corruption actions among young professionals across Africa“.
