The 2023 AU Anti-Corruption Day celebration is on the theme: “Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Adoption of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption: Achievements and Challenges”.

Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh, GACC Executive Secretary, supported by Mr. Samuel Harrison-Cudjoe, Programme Officer, and Ms. Pamela Laourou, Communication Assistant, stated as part of the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Initiative, “Is the fight against corruption a mirage or reality?”

Mrs. Narteh said that as part of the measures to celebrate the event, GACC had developed a project on the theme: “Empowering Ghanaian Youth: GACC Commitment on AU Anti-Corruption Day” to gear towards creating informed and active citizens who will contribute to a corruption-free future for Ghana.

She explained that the involvement of young people was crucial in advocating social change since they were among the most impacted and constituted a significant proportion of the population.

She stressed that they were generally more receptive to social and political transformations due to their involvement in various spheres of society, rendered them more vulnerable to bribery and other forms of corruption, as captured by the Transparency International report for 2009.

Mrs. Narteh said young people made up about 40 per cent of Africa’s population (African Charter, 2006), while they (15–35 years old) made up about 38.2 per cent of Ghana’s population, per the 2021 Population and Housing Census.

According to the Global Corruption Barometer of 2013, approximately 27 percent of individuals under the age of 30 worldwide reported having paid bribes (Transparency International, 2009).

The GACC Executive Secretary stressed the crucial need to involve young people in measures aimed at combating bribery and corruption.

She said as part of the activities to mark AU Anti-Corruption Day, GACC is embarking on a project dubbed: “Building Evidence for Increased Accountability in Ghana through a Multi-Stakeholder Accountability Initiative”.

She explained that GACC, in collaboration with its Local Accountability Networks and with funding support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, was commemorating the 2023 African Anti-Corruption Day in 31 districts across 14 regions in Ghana.