A group picture of the GACC and Sege LANet team with some students

Marking African Union Anti Corruption Day, the Ghana Anti Corruption Coalition (GACC) and its Sege LANet arm called for bold and collaborative efforts to eradicate corruption across Africa.

Echoing figures from the 2023 Auditor General’s Report—indicating warnings of losses exceeding GH₵11 billion to financial irregularities—the organizations warned that such funds, if properly managed, could significantly transform the nation’s education, healthcare, and employment sectors.

“Corruption robs state coffers and deprives communities of vital public services,” highlighted Godwin Dzivor, LANet Focal Person. “It entrenches inequality and erodes public trust in leadership.”

The coalition stressed the empowerment of Ghana’s youth as central to reshaping the nation. With support from the Hewlett Foundation, GACC mobilised a youth focused anti corruption campaign at the Ningo Senior High School, promoting transparency, citizen participation, and whistleblowing.

In a statement delivered on behalf of GACC’s Executive Secretary, Beauty Emefa Narteh, Dzivor urged parents, teachers, community and religious figures, media, government institutions, and civil society to join the youth in advancing integrity and justice. Young people were invited to personally commit to the “3Rs”—Resist, Reject, and Report corruption.

The campaign provided comprehensive awareness, enabling youth to identify and combat corruption while demanding accountability.

He emphasised everyday forms of corruption in schools, from cheating in exams to queue jumping and grade manipulation—and taught students about two key protective laws: “The Whistleblower Act, 2006 (Act 720) which ensures confidentiality and victim protection, and allows whistleblowers to claim up to 10% of recovered funds and the Witness Protection Act, 2018 (Act 975) which offers safeguards such as concealed identity, relocation assistance, and psychological counselling.”

As the AUACD theme “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” reverberated across the continent, GACC affirmed that speaking out is not betrayal, but bravery. The coalition reassured that, with collective action—especially by the youth—Ghana can become a more transparent, equitable nation where the benefits of development are shared by all.