NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 7 — EACC has called on African anti-corruption and oversight institutions to strengthen the use of digital technologies—including artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and data mining tools—to combat corruption and financial crimes more effectively.
Speaking at the 13th International Symposium of the Forum of State Inspections of Africa and Assimilated Institutions (FIGE) in Djibouti from February 3 to 5, EACC CEO Abdi Mohamud highlighted Kenya’s experience and the EACC’s progress in leveraging digital tools to enhance investigations, resource management, and institutional efficiency.
He noted Kenya’s ambitious Digital Super Highway initiative, emphasizing that expanded connectivity and the growth of e-government services are critical enablers of transparency and accountability.
“Kenya is among the few African countries that have enacted laws regulating virtual assets, positioning the country to adopt virtual currencies while mitigating risks related to money laundering and other financial crimes,” Mohamud said.
“These developments require enforcement agencies to build advanced technical capacity. The use of AI, blockchain, and data mining tools is essential to stay ahead in investigating crimes involving virtual currencies and complex financial transactions.”
Mohamud further revealed that the EACC has automated 58 percent of its processes and is on track toward full digitisation of its operations.
The Commission has also developed robust ICT infrastructure and a strategic plan to anchor its digital transformation.
The CEO explained that the EACC uses internally developed digital systems to strengthen resource management controls and deploys digital tools for the extraction, analysis, and management of evidence from electronic devices. Wider application of AI, he said, would enhance the analysis of large datasets and the detection of suspicious transactions.
Additionally, Mohamud announced that Kenya, through the EACC, will host the Centre for Anti-Corruption Studies and Research in Africa (CEREAC), set to launch in June 2026 during the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Anti-Corruption Agencies of Africa (AAACA).
He encouraged African agencies to leverage the Centre to develop innovative, locally driven solutions to corruption and fraud.
The symposium, themed “New Digital Technologies Serving Audits and Control Institutions and Good Governance: What Contribution and What Limits,” was officially opened by Djibouti President Ismael Omar Guelleh.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Côte d’Ivoire Vice President Tiemoko Koné addressed the conference via video link, highlighting the importance of digital technologies and inter-agency cooperation in tackling transnational corruption.
The conference brought together heads of state inspectorates and anti-corruption agencies from 24 African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Mauritania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
International partners such as the World Bank Group, European Union Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), UNODC, and anti-corruption agencies from Hong Kong, Greece, Turkey, and the United States also attended, alongside academics and AI experts.
