The Chairperson of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC), Kwami Edem Senanu, is calling for credit for the African Union for Africanising the governance agenda of the continent.
He, has, however, indicated that the Union continues to suffer a deep accountability deficit that undermines public trust.
He was speaking on the theme “The Accountability Deficit: Corruption, Transparency and Public Trust. How is the African Union Measuring up?” at the 12th Students and Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
The Academy, convened by the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education in partnership with UPSA, brought together 100 young Africans from across the continent from August 24-27 under the theme “Africa’s Ascent: Forging Resilient Economies & Inclusive Governance.”
Now in its 12th edition since 2007, SYPALA has grown into a leading policy and leadership incubator for youth under 35, selected from over 240 applicants this year from 16 countries including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Mr. Senanu, a Ghanaian management and development consultant serving as Chair of the AUABC, an autonomous organ of the AU operating under Article 22 of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, outlined four areas where the Union has made progress.
According to his presentation, the AU has Africanised the governance agenda, created spaces for peer comparison and learning through mechanisms like the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), improved internal financial disclosure, and kept corruption tied to development and legitimacy.
However, he noted that the deficit persists in four critical areas that threaten the Union’s credibility.
“The implementation gap remains the central weakness. Peer review is constrained by voluntarism and diplomacy. Continental outcomes remain poor. Transparency is not yet sufficiently citizen-facing,” he stated in his presentation.
To address this, Mr. Senanu proposed that the AU must move beyond counting treaties and meetings to measuring real performance.
He suggested a five-point chain: Commitment, Capacity, Practice, Consequences, and Public Value; asking whether states have ratified instruments, funded oversight bodies, disclosed budgets and contracts, enforced sanctions, and whether citizens actually experience fairer services and reduced bribery.
This chain, he noted, prevents “paper compliance” where ratification does not translate into results.
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