ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The fight against corruption will be a central theme of the ongoing 30th AU Summit which is being held in Addis Ababa, an Ethiopian official said on Tuesday.

The 30th AU summit kicked off Monday at the headquarters of the pan-African bloc under the theme "Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa's Transformation." The biannual summit will last until Jan. 29.

Speaking to journalists, Workneh Gebeyehu, Ethiopian foreign minister, said corruption is now considered a critical indicator for African Countries' peace and political stability.

"The scale of corruption and the fight against it is a key measurement of a country's institutional strength and good governance" he said.

Gebeyehu further said with about 70 percent of Africa's estimated one billion plus population categorized as youth the fight against corruption is also a fight for the future of AU's 55-member states.

The AU has declared 2018 African anti-corruption year, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission said earlier this month.