Veteran Cameroonian lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner Akere Tabeng Muna has called on African nations to deepen unity, strengthen regional integration, and reduce dependence on foreign aid as the continent marks Africa Day celebrations.
In a statement released ahead of the annual commemoration on Monday, May 25, 2026, he said Africa’s future “cannot be built on dependence on Official Development Assistance” but must instead rest on “African-led solutions, stronger regional integration, value addition, good governance, youth empowerment, and investment in the productive capacity of our people."
The message was published on his official X account on Sunday, May 24, 2026, in anticipation of celebrations taking place across the continent and within the African diaspora on 25 May.
Speaking from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the senior barrister reflected on the significance of the day, which commemorates the creation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, the body that later evolved into the African Union. “This year’s celebration in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, at the opening of the General Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group offers a timely opportunity to rekindle the Pan-African spirit that inspired our forebears,” Akere Muna stated.
He described that spirit as one founded on “self-belief, solidarity, and collective progress." Akere Muna, who was the first elected Presiding Officer of the Economic, Social, and Cultural Council of the African Union, said Africa’s greatest strength remains “its people, its unity, its resilience, and its abundant resources."
The former president of the Cameroon Bar Council has long been recognized as one of Africa’s most outspoken anti-corruption figures. Over the years, he has built an international reputation for advocating transparency, accountability, and democratic governance across the continent.
The legal veteran also played a prominent role in exposing the multinational commodities giant Glencore in a corruption scandal linked to African oil dealings, a case that attracted global attention and renewed scrutiny over governance in the extractive sector.
Akere Tabeng Muna, who leads the NOW Movement in Cameroon and has previously presented himself as a reformist political figure, used the Africa Day message to call for renewed continental confidence. “On this Africa Day, let us renew our commitment to unity, integration, and shared prosperity,” he said. “The Africa we want will be built by Africans, for Africans, with confidence in our own potential.”
Africa Day is observed annually on 25 May to celebrate African unity and the founding ideals of continental cooperation first championed by African independence leaders more than six decades ago.
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