The 14th Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa concluded on Friday 10 May 2024 in Accra, Ghana with a unanimous adoption of a communiqué outlining a shared approach to addressing the most pressing challenges posed by corruption.

The five-day conference was organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with the Government of Ghana and convened under the theme “Strengthening institutions and promoting transparency: A means of fighting corruption in Commonwealth Africa”.

Delegates recognised that corruption continues to be a key challenge in the continent. The United Nations reports that corruption and illicit financial flows cost the global economy US$3.5 trillion every year. According to UNCTAD’s Economic Development in Africa Report 2020, it is estimated that Africa loses more than US$50 billion a year to illicit flows. In the last 50 years, Africa lost over US$1 trillion, which is the equivalent to all the official development assistance received during the same period.

The heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa agreed to enhance efforts to combat corruption by increasing cooperation between local, regional and international agencies. Additionally, they emphasised the critical need to utilise technology to combat corruption in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.

Speaking at the conclusion of the conference, Dr Roger Koranteng, the Secretariat’s Adviser and Head of Public Sector Governance said: