Beauty Emefa Narteh, the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), has urged young people to resist, reject and report all forms of corruption to the appropriate law enforcement agencies to help promote integrity and accountability in the country.

She said all corrupt acts, whether perceived or real, should be reported promptly to the relevant authorities to ensure they were investigated and addressed before they became entrenched.

Mrs. Narteh made the call during the commemoration of the 2026 African Anti-Corruption Day held for students of Okadjakro Senior High Technical School and St. Peter Claver R.C. Junior High School in the Jasikan Municipality of the Oti Region.

Her speech was read on her behalf by Mr Roger Yafetto Agbele, a member of the Kadjebi Local Accountability Network (LANet).

Mrs. Narteh said a key feature of this year’s commemoration was the “Capture Youth Voices Open Forum,” an initiative designed to amplify the perspectives, experiences and ideas of young people on corruption and integrity.

She said the forum recognised that the voices and actions of young people mattered because they were future leaders and decision-makers whose values would shape the country’s governance.

She said the initiative also sought to engage young people in meaningful discussions to better understand how corruption affected their daily lives, education, future aspirations and opportunities.

According to her, the forum would also encourage participants to propose practical solutions and commit themselves to promoting accountability, transparency and integrity within their schools, homes and communities.

Mrs. Narteh said empowering young people to speak up against corruption would strengthen national efforts to build an ethical society where honesty, fairness and accountability prevailed.

She urged the students to become ambassadors of integrity by refusing to participate in examination malpractice, bribery, cheating and other dishonest practices that undermined national development.

She stressed that the fight against corruption was a shared responsibility and called on all citizens, particularly the youth, to work together towards building a Ghana and an Africa where integrity thrived and corruption had no place.

Earlier, Madam Comfort Tsaku, the Kadjebi Focal Person and Chairperson of LANet, advised the students to make honesty, transparency and integrity their guiding principles.

She said Ghana’s development continued to suffer because of corruption perpetrated over the years and urged the youth to help change the narrative by upholding high moral values and refusing to engage in corrupt practices.

Madam Sophia Anin, Headmistress of Okadjakro Senior High Technical School, commended GACC and its partners for the educational engagement, describing it as timely and beneficial to the students.

She encouraged the learners to apply the lessons acquired and become responsible citizens committed to promoting integrity in their schools and communities.

African Anti-Corruption Day is observed annually on July 11 to commemorate the adoption of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.

The day seeks to raise awareness about the negative impact of corruption and promote transparency, accountability, good governance and integrity across the African continent.

The 2026 African Anti-Corruption Day theme is “Scaling Up the Promotion of Integrity and Anti-Corruption Actions Across Africa."