On 10 July 2026, Transparency International Rwanda (TI-Rwanda), in collaboration with the Office of the Ombudsman, hosted the National Conference on African Anti-Corruption Day 2026, bringing together key stakeholders to reflect on Rwanda’s progress in the fight against corruption, share experiences and best practices, and discuss emerging challenges and strategic actions to strengthen integrity, transparency, and accountability.
The conference was held in commemoration of African Anti-Corruption Day, observed annually on 11 July, under the continental theme : "Scaling Up the Promotion of Integrity and Anti-Corruption Actions Across Africa."
During the conference, TI-Rwanda Executive Director Apollinaire Mupiganyi presented evidence from TI-Rwanda’s research and citizens’ complaints, highlighting the state of corruption and service delivery in Rwanda. He emphasized that corruption and poor service delivery are closely intertwined, undermining citizens’ rights and access to quality public services.
Drawing from the findings, TI-Rwanda called for :
- Closing gaps in the Access to Information framework by designating institutions responsible for publishing the list of persons definitively convicted of corruption and overseeing implementation of the Access to Information Law ;
- Strengthening whistleblower protection through the expedited issuance of the Presidential Order operationalizing the Whistleblower Protection Law ;
- Finalizing and adopting the National Anti-Corruption Policy to address emerging corruption risks ;
- Enhancing asset recovery efforts and strengthening the capacity of investigators, prosecutors, judges, and other criminal justice actors to tackle financial crimes, including money laundering, illicit enrichment, financial investigations, and forensic accounting.
Participants :
The National Conference on African Anti-Corruption Day 2026 brought together over 80 participants, a broad range of stakeholders from government institutions, the justice sector, civil society, academia, the private sector, development partners, faith-based organizations, media, and youth.
The event was graced by the Guest of Honor, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General. Other senior officials in attendance included the Prosecutor General, the Chief Ombudsperson, the Deputy Ombudsperson in Charge of Prevention of Corruption, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), the Spokesperson of the Judiciary, and the Vice Mayor of the City of Kigali.
Participants included representatives from the following institutions :
- Parliament : African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC Rwanda).
- Ministries : Ministry of Justice (MINIJUST), Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), Ministry of Youth and Arts (MOYA), Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), Ministry of Education (MINEDUC), Ministry of Public Service and Labour (MIFOTRA), and Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF).
- Government Institutions : Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), Office of the Auditor General of State Finances (OAG), National Youth Council (NYC), National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), Rwanda National Police (RNP), National Public Service Commission (NPSC), Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), National Women’s Council (NWC), Higher Education Council (HEC), National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA), and Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB).
- Judiciary and Justice Sector : Judiciary, National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA), Rwanda Bar Association (RBA), Professional Bailiffs Association (PBA), and the Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD).
- Local Government : City of Kigali.
- Civil Society Organizations : Rwanda Civil Society Platform, Never Again Rwanda, Legal Aid Forum, Inshuti z’Ubutabera, and Rwanda Youth Organization Forum (RYOF).
- Private Sector : Private Sector Federation (PSF), IEM Group, and Rugamba Mining Company.
- Academic Institutions : University of Rwanda, Kigali Independent University (ULK), and the African School of Governance.
- Faith-Based Organizations : Rwanda Interfaith Council on Health (RICH) and the Episcopal Conference of Rwanda.
- Development Partners : United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), European Union (EU), Embassy of Switzerland in Rwanda, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
- Media Organizations : Rwanda Media Commission (RMC), Association of Rwanda Journalists (ARJ), Pax Press, as well as journalists from various media houses including Imvaho Nshya, Kigali Today, Igihe, Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA), Umuryango, and Le Canapé.
- Anti-Corruption Clubs : University of Rwanda Students Anti-Corruption Club and Umucyo Anti-Corruption Club (Kamonyi).
