Commonwealth Anti-Corruption Conference: African Heads Confront AI Era

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not on the horizon; it is already with us. The question now is whether integrity will outpace corruption, or whether corruption will outrun technology. It is for this very reason that the Commonwealth Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Africa, comprising 25 agencies from 20 countries, opened their 16th Regional Conference at the Yaounde Conference Centre yesterday, May 4, 2026, under the theme, “Deploying Artificial Intelligence in the Fight Against Corruption in Commonwealth Africa.” The opening ceremony was presided over by the personal representative of the Head of State, the Minister Delegate at the Presidency of the Republic in charge of the Supreme State Audit, Mbah Acha née Fomundam Rose Ngwari. The opening session of the conference featured several speeches and a cultural display which once again portrayed Cameroon as “Africa in miniature”. The Minister Delegate informed participants that, under the visionary leadership of President Paul Biya, Head of State, the Government of Cameroon has placed the fight against corruption and the promotion of good governance at the heart of its public policy. “We are firmly convinced that no meaningful or sustainable development can be achieved without transparency, accountability, and the ethical management of public resources,” Minister Mbah Acha Rose observed. Accordingly, the Government of Cameroon has committed itself to a far-reaching programme of digital transformation within public administration. Mbah Acha Rose stressed that the Government does not view digitalisation as a mere technical exercise. Rather, it considers it a fundamental pillar of modern governance and a decisive instrument in the prevention and detection of corrupt practices. Although measures have been put in place to prevent and curb corruption in the country, the Minister said the Government is fully aware of the challenges that remain. As such, Cameroon stands ready to play its full part in curbing corruption and to learn from the valuable experiences of Commonwealth partners and beyond. A remark by the Honourable Tabot Lawson, Vice President of the Cameroon Parliamentary Network for the Fight Against Corruption (APNAC), framed the fight against corruption as both a moral imperative and a collective responsibility. He urged participants to move beyond rhetoric and called on the judiciary, legislature, and executive to jointly craft stronger anti-corruption legislation. Dr Roger Koranteng, Head of Public Sector Governance at the Commonwealth Secretariat, UK, said the time had come for countries to strengthen their collective fight against ...