By Vivian Daniel

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDa) have renewed their partnership with a fresh Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to intensify anti-corruption initiatives and asset recovery efforts across the continent.

The signing ceremony took place at ICPC Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, coinciding with the 2025 International Anti-Corruption Day, as noted in the undersigned statement by the Commission’s Spokesperson, John Okor Odey (ANIPR), on 10 December 2025.

Welcoming the delegation, ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), emphasised the significance of the collaboration.

“The MoU we are signing is a practical framework for capacity building in addressing the challenges confronting Africa. The ICPC has been exploring ways to recover stolen assets and deploy them for Africa’s development. We are also considering how recovered artefacts can be harnessed to develop both the continent and our nation,” Aliyu said.

The Executive Director of CoDa, Souad Osman-Aden, thanked ICPC for the warm reception and outlined the coalition’s commitment to continental progress.

“We are renewing this MoU to continue to support the continent in the fight against corruption. We were previously in this room to validate processes for combating illicit financial flows (IFFs). We are ensuring that members of the coalition are experienced and committed to the wellbeing of Africa,” she said.

The Senior Adviser to CoDa, Ambassador Maxwell Mkwezalamba, expressed optimism about the future of the partnership, while Aliyu underlined collective responsibility in tackling corruption, stressing that challenges faced by any African country must be treated as a shared continental concern.

“The MoU is a commitment to progress, and development is a shared responsibility. I hope this MoU will open doors for deeper cooperation and tangible results,” he said.

Aliyu also highlighted the importance of recovering Africa’s cultural heritage: “How can we bring back our heritage instead of paying foreigners to view our own history and roots?”

The renewed MoU sets out key areas of cooperation: asset recovery and repatriation of stolen African resources; combating illicit financial flows; capacity building and knowledge sharing; cultural heritage preservation; coordinated continental responses to corruption; and regular virtual engagements to track progress.

The signing of the MoU is a historic milestone, coming after the passage of the Asset Recovery Bill, and builds on previous collaborations between ICPC and CoDa in validating processes to combat illicit financial flows. Both organisations expressed confidence that the partnership will ensure recovered assets and cultural artefacts are deployed to benefit African citizens.