SYPALA 2026: ‘Anti-corruption without enforcement is meaningless’ — Senanu
The African Union’s elaborate anti-corruption and governance framework will have little impact unless member states move beyond adopting laws and institutions to enforcing them and imposing visible consequences for violations, the Chairperson of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC), Edem Senanu, has cautioned.
The African Union's anti-corruption and governance framework will only have meaning for its member states if they enforce the laws and impose consequences for violations, according to Edem Senanu, Chairperson of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC). Speaking at the "The Accountability Deficit: Corruption, Transparency and Public Trust" panel at the 2026 Students and Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) in Accra on August 26, Senanu highlighted the progress Africa has made in establishing rules, institutions and a governance architecture.
However, he emphasized that a gap remains between commitments and implementation, undermining public trust. Senanu argued that the effectiveness of the AU's mechanisms depends on member states translating commitments into action, not just signing treaties or creating institutions. He outlined a five-stage approach to measure governance performance: commitment, institutional capacity, actual practice, consequences and public value.
Senanu urged the AU to establish a public accountability dashboard, strengthen the AUABC's independence and capacity, and link governance commitments to national budgets. He also called for stronger protections for whistle-blowers, journalists, auditors, courts and civil society organisations, as well as greater use of open contracting and beneficial ownership registers.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
