A three-day regional conference on the growing influence of money in politics has opened in Accra, bringing together African leaders, policymakers and civil society organizations to promote reforms aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and democratic integrity.
Organized by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, the Open Society Foundations, Transparency International and the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption, the meeting is examining the impact of unregulated political financing on democracy.
In a virtual address, Open Society Foundations President Binaifer Nowrojee warned that hidden and concentrated political funding is weakening democratic participation and increasingly excluding women, young people and marginalized communities from public office.
Chair of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption, Kwami Edem Senanu, called for stronger implementation of anti-corruption commitments, noting that while most African Union member states have ratified the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, many have yet to adopt effective national laws.
Delegates will spend the next three days discussing practical reforms, including campaign finance disclosure, transparent public funding, stronger oversight institutions and protections for whistleblowers.
The conference is expected to conclude with a roadmap to support the African Union’s proposed Model Law on Political Financing and improve democratic accountability across the continent.
