William Nyarko, Executive Director of the Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), has called on African countries to strengthen political-finance laws by requiring electoral candidates to disclose campaign donations and submit financial reports.
Speaking during a reform panel at the Financialisation of Politics Conference in Accra, held from July 14 to 16, Nyarko said candidate-level reporting remained a major gap in political-finance regulation across the continent.
He argued that campaign resources are often provided directly to candidates rather than through political parties, limiting public visibility over who funds election campaigns and how much support is provided. According to Nyarko, such opacity can create opportunities for financiers to seek preferential treatment after candidates enter public office.
Nyarko said more than 30 African countries do not have provisions requiring candidates to declare campaign contributions and expenditure or file post-election financial reports. He urged governments, legislatures, electoral authorities, anti-corruption bodies and civil society groups to prioritise reforms covering public disclosure, expenditure reporting, independent oversight and auditing.
He linked the proposed reforms to existing international and regional anti-corruption commitments. Nyarko cited Article 7(3) of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, which encourages greater transparency in the funding of candidates for elected office and, where relevant, political parties. He also referred to Article 10 of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, which addresses transparency in financing political parties and democratic processes.
Nyarko said the central task was for countries to translate those commitments into domestic rules that apply directly to candidates. He warned that undisclosed campaign financing could contribute to patronage, procurement manipulation and diversion of public resources.
The conference brought together representatives involved in governance, anti-corruption, electoral oversight and legal reform, including officials from Ghanaian and African Union institutions. Discussions concluded with deliberations on an Accra Declaration intended to advance political-finance transparency, democratic accountability and anti-corruption reforms across Africa.
