Edem Senanu, Chairperson of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC), has declared that the African Union's anti-corruption and governance framework will have little impact without strong enforcement. He stressed that member states must move beyond adopting laws to imposing visible consequences for violations.
Mr. Senanu highlighted that Africa has made significant progress in establishing continental rules and institutions. However, a persistent gap exists between these commitments and their actual implementation. This gap continues to undermine public trust in governance structures across the continent.
This observation fits into Ghana's broader economic narrative, where corruption remains a significant challenge affecting public finance and investment. Data from Afrobarometer shows that across 39 African countries, fewer than half of respondents trust presidents, police, or courts. Only 37% expressed trust in Parliament, indicating a widespread crisis of confidence in state institutions. Weak accountability systems divert scarce resources, increase public service costs, and disproportionately affect poorer communities.
“Anti-corruption without enforcement is meaningless,” Mr. Senanu stated during his presentation. He delivered this message at the 2026 Students and Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) in Accra. The event was held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), on August 26.
The implications are significant for Ghana and other African nations. Without robust enforcement, efforts to attract foreign direct investment and improve the business environment will face headwinds. Decision-makers must prioritize strengthening independent anti-corruption bodies and ensuring timely prosecution of offenders. Markets will respond positively to tangible progress in combating corruption and enhancing transparency.
Mr. Senanu's presentation, titled “The Accountability Deficit: Corruption, Transparency and Public Trust,” examined the AU’s performance. He challenged participants to assess the continent’s progress by tangible results, not just signed treaties. The AU has developed a broad governance architecture, including the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption. Institutions like the AUABC and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) also provide platforms for monitoring.
However, the effectiveness of these mechanisms depends heavily on member states' willingness and capacity. They must translate continental commitments into concrete action. Mr. Senanu assessed the AU as strong in rule-making but weak in enforcement and consequences. Its impact on public trust remains insufficient, he noted.
The central challenge is the implementation gap. The existence of laws and anti-corruption institutions does not automatically guarantee independence or adequate resources. “Ratification, legislation and institutional creation do not establish independence, resources or enforcement,” the presentation noted. This deficit affects public resource distribution and the quality of public services.
Mr. Senanu argued that transparency should not end with publishing government reports. Citizens must understand what has happened and whether wrongdoers have faced consequences. He proposed measuring governance performance through a chain covering commitment, institutional capacity, actual practice, consequences, and public value. This approach would prevent “paper compliance,” where countries receive credit for adopting laws without enforcing them.
Proposed reforms include establishing a public AU accountability dashboard to track country commitments. Strengthening the independence and capacity of the AUABC is also crucial. He called for linking governance commitments to national budgets and protecting whistle-blowers and journalists. Greater use of open contracting and asset recovery mechanisms would also help. The intervention at SYPALA placed responsibility for Africa’s governance future on its emerging generation. Young Africans must shift the conversation from frameworks to changing citizens’ everyday experiences. The next phase of African integration must transform shared values into visible consequences.