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University education in Africa is regarded as key to a better future, and has the potential to provide the tools that people need to improve livelihoods and live with dignity. But according to Transparency International, systemic corruption is eroding benefits that could be accrued from higher education.

Global Corruption Report: Education, released on 1st October, argues that corruption has not just raised the cost of higher education but has also hindered socio-economic progress in many African countries by diminishing the quality of university education.

For Dutch Youth Representative for UNESCO, education has to come to the forefront of the development debate. He states that the implementation and effectiveness of many education programmes is hampered by corruption, and that young people can play a vital role in combatting this.

Corruption is rife in Africa, costing the continent $148 billion each year - money that could be better spent on improving education, health services or infrastructure. Citizens are demanding better. Last year, mobile penetration rose above 80% in Africa and an increasingly tech savvy citizenry are beginning to utilise this technology to hold their governments to account.

A mixture of endemic poverty and corruption in the education system and government abuses have not allowed children in rural areas access to basic education. Investment in basic education is crucial for future development, as 40% of the Honduran population is under 14.

The former Minister State for Information and Communication stated during a debate competition organized by the Association of Principals of Islamic Private Schools (APIPS) in Jos, that exam malpractice is destroying one of the pillars of development and poses a serious threat to the future of education in the country.

While corruption hampers all development efforts, it is a debilitating presence in the education sector. Teacher absenteeism is one of the most serious forms of corruption in education. While there are many valid reasons for a teacher to be away from the classroom, some absences are clearly illegitimate.

Banishing academic dishonesty could help Mozambique nurture original thinkers who are economically efficient and socially suited to develop the country. But this will only be possible if administrators work with professors and students to build strong measures to combat widespread plagiarism, which is hampering the production of quality graduates.

The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) has completed the first phase of its anti-corruption awareness campaign in schools. The first phase which climaxed at the William V.S. Tubman High School in Sinkor covered forty eight schools in Monrovia. LACC Oversight Commissioner for Education & Prevention said talking to the young people of Liberia on corruption was a priority of the Commission. She noted that corruption continues to impede national development and imparting the virtues of integrity in students as future leaders was a major concern to the LACC.

In its 2013 Global Corruption Report: Education, Transparency International indicates that corruption in higher education is widespread in Africa. Because higher education has such an important role to play in the social and economic development of Africa, it is imperative that this issue be addressed and appropriate solutions found.