Commonwealth Africa Moves to Deploy AI in Anti-Corruption Fight as ICPC Showcases CEPTI
By Chizoba Njaka
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, has presented Nigeria’s Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative, CEPTI, at the 16th Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa held in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The conference, hosted by Cameroon’s National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Commonwealth Secretariat, focused on "Deploying Artificial Intelligence in the Fight Against Corruption in Commonwealth Africa.”
Representing the ICPC Chairman, Head of External Cooperation Ahmed Abdul said CEPTI uses geospatial mapping for real-time monitoring of government projects nationwide. He noted that since inception, the initiative has tracked projects worth over N22.9 trillion, recovered N4.9 billion from poorly executed jobs, and saved the government N91.4 billion from aborted, inflated, or re-scoped projects.
Dr. Aliyu said CEPTI has cut down on contract inflation, fund diversion, ghost projects, and abandonment, while forcing contractors back to abandoned sites. He urged anti-corruption agencies across the Commonwealth to adopt technology-driven tracking and deepen collaboration in digital investigation and data science.
Delegates adopted resolutions to promote digital transformation in public service, improve transparency in procurement and finance management, and strengthen asset recovery. They also agreed to build capacity in AI for investigation and prosecution, and to equip young people with digital skills for integrity and accountability.
Cameroon’s National Anti-Corruption Commission will chair the association for 2026–2027, with Kenya set to host the next conference in 2027.