Whilst AU Watch see a clear role for universities to be important partners in the battle against corruption, is it not the case of trying to close the stable doors after the horse has bolted? At AU Watch we recognize the matrix of reasons that keep Africa poor. We however agree with Geraldine Bedell (2009) of The Guardian newspaper who wrote that “no amount of aid, debt relief or trade is going to make a difference until the problems of corruption are solved: “Corruption is problem number one, two and three on that continent.” If we agree that corruption is the most devastating scourge in the continent that has blighted every sector and trumping all other social challenges, how is it the case that we intend only to challenge this plague at the adult stage of our lives? Wouldn’t it make more sense if tackle this menace at the start of life before we form ingrained and maybe irreversible habits and philosophies?

Traditional approaches to fighting corruption tend to focus on rules, compliance, and enforcement. Regulations are passed and organizations are formed to root out graft. These efforts may provide part of the solution but are often hamstrung or ineffective in places where opacity and patronage are ingrained, and where there is a gap between legal frameworks and everyday behaviours. To truly build systems and societies with integrity we need to rethink these approaches and close these gaps through reimagining education.

AU Watch is, therefore, of the view that anti-corruption studies should form part of all school’s curriculum, beginning at nursery and primary school with a view to promoting public awareness, personal integrity, civic responsibility, understanding of human rights and duties to society and the State. It is our view that we need to use education to build integrity from the bottom-up and that primary and secondary schools should be at the vanguard of a regional anti-corruption charge, whilst expecting the cavalry support from our tertiary institutions. What possible harm will come to Africa if we include anti-corruption studies into history, civic education, ethics, religious, literature and language lessons? Primary and secondary schools not only have a role in advancing knowledge, contributing to solving African problems and driving economic development, but the teaching of ethics and morals, appropriate behaviour and African traditional knowledge about living together, right from infancy might just be one of the keys to of a successful fight against corruption.

All the holy books admonish parents to teach and train their children from infancy about good citizenship: The Bible says: “these words that I am commanding you today must be on your heart, and you must inculcate them in your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. Indeed, all the holy books, including the Koran and the Torah emphasize the teaching of good morals and appropriate behavior immediately after birth.

As part of its contribution in fighting corruption across Africa, AU Watch’s Media, Communication and Education Team in collaboration with its Policy Programme Directorate, education departments in AU Member States, are developing anti-corruption syllabuses and programmes for primary and secondary schools. Fighting corruption demands a generational change, and students must be the key constituents in this shift. This means that we must teach and train Africa’s most important resource immediately after birth on anti-corruption, civic participation, open government and transparency. Why should it not be the case of organizing our schools to come together to support national and international networks of research and learning across Africa, in conjunction with governments, to ensure relevant lessons become the basis for shared action?

AU Watch’s media and advocacy teams are also organizing schools’ workshops and leading debates on corruption, its effect on African development and how to combat it in the various countries it has chapters. It is also developing courses on the broader aspects of corruption and methods of fighting the scourge and making these courses available for tertiary education. Working with law schools, particularly, AU Watch will advance reflection on appropriate methods of detecting and curtailing corruption, and document successful cases of effective mechanisms and institutions to address the issue.

In collaboration with AU Watch’s ‘Nelson Mandela Leadership Forum’, AU Watch is also working with the Ministry of Education of The Gambia to develop immediate interventions that would entail workshops to train civil society and local leaders on ethical leadership and sound public policy processes.