Africa’s anti-corruption push reached a new milestone on Wednesday in Nairobi as continental leaders launched the first Anti-Corruption Studies and Research Centre, alongside the opening of the 8th Annual General Assembly of the African Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (AAACA), which has brought together more than 150 delegates from across the continent.
The meeting, hosted in Kenya by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), comes at a time when African states are seeking stronger coordination and more practical tools to deal with corruption.
The gathering is focused on improving cooperation, building stronger institutions, and advancing new approaches to fighting corruption across member countries.
The assembly is running under the theme “Strengthening Cooperation and Institutional Innovation for an Effective Fight Against Corruption in Africa,” and has attracted heads of anti-corruption agencies and senior officials from different African countries.
A key highlight of the event is the launch of the Anti-Corruption Studies and Research Centre, which is expected to act as a continental hub for research, training, and sharing of knowledge among anti-corruption bodies.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Executive Officer Abdi Ahmed Mohamud said the centre marks a key step in strengthening research-based approaches to governance and accountability across Africa.
“A particularly significant milestone of this assembly will be the official launch of the anti-corruption studies and research centre in Africa. The centre represents a major step forward in strengthening evidence-based anti-corruption policy, research, capacity building, and knowledge sharing across our continent.”
He said the idea of the centre had been developed through a long process of cooperation among African countries and was later endorsed through African Union meetings and resolutions.
“The centre will serve as ACAS research and analytical arm, endowed with legal personality and administrative and financial autonomy. The centre represents a major step forward in strengthening evidence-based anti-corruption policy research capacity building and knowledge sharing across our continent. I encourage all member institutions to support the centre through collaborative research, technical expertise, and the exchange of knowledge.”
He added that anti-corruption agencies are now expected to show clear results in recovering stolen public resources.
“Increasingly, citizens expect anti-corruption agencies to demonstrate tangible results through the tracing, freezing, confiscation, and recovery of proceeds of crime and corruption. Sharing experiences and best practices in this area will strengthen our collective capacity to ensure that stolen public assets and resources are returned for the benefit of our people.”
Mohamud further noted that emerging technologies are changing how corruption is committed, requiring new skills and stronger systems.
“The General Assembly will present us with the opportunity to deliberate on emerging challenges arising from technological achievements, digital financial systems, virtual assets, and complex cooperative structures. While technology has created unprecedented opportunities for development, it has also introduced new avenues for concealing illicit wealth.”
Delegates are expected to focus on strengthening skills and systems to keep up with digital investigations and enforcement.
“Our institutions must therefore continually enhance their technical capacities to detect, investigate, and prosecute corruption in the digital age,” Mohamud stressed.
He also described the gathering as a chance for African countries to renew their shared commitment to integrity and accountability.
“As we gather in Nairobi, let us seize this opportunity not only to evaluate our progress and address our challenges, but also to reaffirm our shared vision of Africa, where integrity prevails, public resources serve the common good, and institutions are guided by the highest standards of accountability.”
The assembly continues in Nairobi, with discussions expected to end in agreed resolutions aimed at improving cooperation among anti-corruption agencies across Africa.