The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has stepped up efforts to mobilise young people against corruption, using its preventive initiative, Youth Against Corruption (YAC), to encourage integrity and civic action among Ghana’s youth.

Speaking at an event marking International Anti-Corruption Day, the Director of Strategy, Research and Communication at the OSP, Mr Samuel Appiah Darko, urged young people to see the fight against corruption as a duty to both the present and the future.

Addressing more than 250 young people, Mr Darko encouraged them to join the YAC initiative and become active defenders of transparency and accountability.

“The fight against corruption is about preserving today and securing your future tomorrow,” he said, calling on the youth to be honest in their personal dealings and vocal in holding leaders to account.

Mr Darko was speaking on behalf of the Special Prosecutor while delivering a presentation titled “Making the Conduct of Public Officers (COPO) Bill fit for purpose: what should Ghanaians expect?”

During his address, he called on the Executive to explicitly include the OSP in the COPO Bill, stressing that such inclusion would strengthen enforcement and oversight.

He also urged lawmakers to criminalise specific misconduct under the Bill, noting that many of the proposed provisions already align with offences under the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act and the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

The OSP also used the platform to explain its mandate, preventive role and achievements, highlighting youth engagement as a key pillar of its anti-corruption strategy.

The event was organised by Transparency International Ghana and CDD-Ghana, with funding support from GIZ.

Through the YAC initiative, the OSP says it aims to provide continuous empowerment for young people, equipping them with the values of integrity, transparency and accountability to resist and report corruption.