EACC boss urges African anti-corruption arms to harness AI and blockchain

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has urged African anti-corruption and oversight institutions to strengthen the use of digital technologies, including AI, blockchain, and data mining tools, to fight corruption and financial crimes more effectively.

EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud stated that emerging technologies are important for detecting, investigating, and preventing corruption-related offenses. He noted that digital platforms can reduce human discretion and improve traceability, making it harder for corrupt practices to go unnoticed.

EACC moves toward full digitization to fight corruption

The EACC has already automated 58% of its processes and is working toward full digitization of its operations. It is supported by a robust ICT infrastructure and a technology-driven strategic plan.

The Commission also employs internally developed digital systems to enhance controls in resource management and uses digital forensic tools to extract, analyze, and manage evidence from electronic devices.

Mohamud said wider application of AI could further improve the analysis of large datasets. This would enable faster detection of suspicious transactions and patterns linked to corruption and fraud, while reducing investigation timelines.

He praised Kenya’s Digital Super Highway initiative. It has expanded internet connectivity and e-government services, thereby providing greater transparency in public service delivery.

In the conference that 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, Muhamud stated that financial crimes are evolving rapidly, particularly with the rise of crypto and complex digital transactions.

He stressed that enforcement agencies need to keep pace. He urged that enforcement agencies need to keep pace.

So far, in eastern Africa, only Kenya has provided a legal framework for crypto. As reported by Cryptopolitan, the Kenyan parliament passed the Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Bill, establishing, for the first time, clear legislation for the crypto industry. It provided a legal framework for innovation while addressing risks such as money laundering and fraud. 

Rwanda’s National Bank of Rwanda and the Capital Markets Authority introduced a draft legal framework for virtual assets and virtual asset service providers (VASPs) in March 2025. However, it has yet to officially establish the legal framework. 

Across the continent, data from the Africa Fintech Summit shows inefficiencies in cross-border payments and foreign exchange systems cost Africa nearly $5 billion annually. While the technology to enable instant payments already exists, the report underscores that fragmented foreign exchange markets, shallow local currency pools, and a lack of crypto knowledge continue to drive up costs. 

Meanwhile, Kenya, through the EACC, will host the Centre for Anti-Corruption Studies and Research in Africa (CEREAC). It is scheduled for launch in June 2026 during the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Anti-Corruption Agencies of Africa (AAACA).

FRC targets cross-border money laundering networks

The Financial Reporting Centre has so far frozen the assets of 13 individuals linked to terrorism financing. This follows months of intelligence work conducted jointly by Interpol and US financial crime enforcement agencies revealed what investigators described as complex cross-border money laundering networks.

According to the updated domestic sanctions list published on the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC) website, the 13 individuals include 10 Kenyan nationals, 2 Tanzanians, and 1 Ugandan. 

The report says that one of them is an IS facilitator who transfers funds through crypto from several crypto wallets, including those linked to associates of Bilal Al Sudani, aka Sudani, the Deputy Commander of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) Al-Karrar office linked to Islamic State (IS) of Somalia.