Speaker of Parliament Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has cautioned that the growing wave of corruption across Africa is breeding deep frustration among the youth and threatening the survival of democracy on the continent.
Speaking at the opening of the 9th Biennial General Meeting of the African Parliamentarians’ Network Against Corruption (APNAC) in Accra, Mr. Bagbin painted a grim picture of how corruption is eroding public trust, especially among young people, and making them lose faith in civilian leadership.
“No wonder that the youth of some African countries are welcoming, with open arms and cheerful adulation, the return of the military to take over the reins of governance,” he said.
“No wonder the Gen Z are on the warpath and presidents are on the run.”
He linked this disillusionment to widespread graft and the monetization of politics, where political offices are often seen as avenues for self-enrichment rather than service.
“In Africa, a single candidate can spend as high as $100 million campaigning to be president, or $500,000 to win a parliamentary seat. Where does one get such colossal amounts from? And on assuming office, how does one recoup such lavish investment?” he asked.
Mr. Bagbin warned that corruption is not just draining Africa’s resources but is also corroding the moral foundation of its democracies.
He said the result is a generation of citizens who now associate leadership with greed, cronyism, and state capture.
“The ordinary African sees his leaders engaged in state capture, a situation where powerful interests dominate and bend the institutions of government to serve themselves, their families, friends and cronies instead of the people,” he said.
The Speaker, who is also a founding member of APNAC, said the youth’s frustration has reached a breaking point because corruption has made basic services inaccessible.
“A pregnant woman, a poor man with a simple snake bite in a rural village may walk several kilometers to a clinic, only to find there is no midwife, no medicines,” he lamented.
He urged African parliaments to respond with bold reforms that restore faith in democratic systems. “When the drumbeat changes, the dance must also change,” he told lawmakers.
“We cannot continue the same Azonto dance style if we wish to relegate corruption to the backwaters of history.”
Mr. Bagbin called for a reimagining of the African Parliamentarians’ Network Against Corruption to make it “stronger, louder, bolder, more visible and united” in confronting corruption across borders.
The APNAC meeting in Accra has brought together legislators and anti-corruption advocates from across the continent to discuss ways of strengthening parliamentary oversight and restoring public trust in democratic governance.
