Projects > Brief descriptions > Cooperation with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)

Contact person

Mr Gerald Duda
Email: gerald.duda@giz.de

Cooperation with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)

Project description

Title: Cooperation with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)
Commissioned by: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Country: Africa, transnational (located in South Africa)
Lead executing agency: APRM Secretariat, based in Midrand (South Africa)
Overall term: August 2006 to December 2011

Context

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a tool used by the African Union (AU) for voluntary critical self-assessment. The assessment is based on the standards of good governance that African countries have agreed within the initiative New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Participation in APRM is voluntary. Countries that have chosen to participate assess their own standing according to fixed criteria in four areas:

democracy and good political governance
economic governance and management
socio-economic development
corporate governance

According to these criteria, the APRM Secretariat conducts an independent assessment of the country in question, parallel to its self-assessment. An independent committee, the Panel of Eminent Persons, combines the two assessments and issues a statement. Both documents are submitted to the heads of state of the APRM countries (peers) for discussion and agreement on recommendations.

The first phase of this peer review is a process involving as many sections of society as possible in order to detect any weaknesses and development gaps, together with their causes. The goal, however, is, by means of a broad social discussion, to find appropriate measures for overcoming the weaknesses detected and to agree on a national action programme. An action programme of this nature is regarded as a task for society as a whole rather than as the responsibility of the government alone.
The goals of the APRM and the processes they entail require extensive institutional capacities at both the continental level and in each country. Twenty-six APRM participant countries (as of March 2007) have cleared the way for self-assessments and the subsequent processes. Further African countries are still to be convinced to use this instrument in reforming their governance.

Objective

The arrangements and institutions set up in the scope of APRM, both on the continent as a whole and in the individual participating countries, are doing their work effectively and professionally. This lends support to reforms for good governance and improves the quality of national development programmes. It also persuades additional countries to join APRM.

Approach

GTZ already supported APRM through its cooperation with the initiative for New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and, beginning in August 2005, in a project of its own that in 2006 became part of the programme for Cooperation With Pan-African Institutions in South Africa. NEPAD was advised initially on preparing for APRM, and aided in the selection of a Panel of Eminent Persons. Subsequently organisational development was promoted jointly with the APRM Secretariat: direct consultancy services were carried out regarding, for example, processes and internal regulations.

The APRM embodies in a special sense the principle called “African ownership”: Africa recognises its problems and finds its own ways of solving them. Consequently, the programme’s consulting and support services are often performed only indirectly and are primarily aimed at aiding African actors and their contributions to self-assessment and the successive processes. The advisory needs discovered by the partners are noted and support is offered for the development of instruments for improving and accelerating the APRM process.

In the countries taking part in APRM, the Programme for Cooperation With Pan-African Institutions in South Africa cooperates closely with GTZ offices and other partners. Joint support is lent to the implementation of self assessment and the national action programmes within country-specific APRM structures.
Agreement was reached with the NEPAD Secretariat that its capacity-building initiative be concentrated in the pilot phase initially on the countries that have completed self-assessment and are now trying to carry out the national action programme.

The programme and its partners are organising a continuous exchange of experience in workshops and conferences among the APRM countries across the whole African continent. Instruments for improving the quality of the processes are developed jointly, such as a model for monitoring and evaluation of APRM results.

Results achieved so far

The continental APRM structures are basically operational, but in view of the large number of countries participating and the running expenses involved, they need additional resources and support. Following an initially hesitant start, since January 2006 the APRM has gained substantially in momentum. By March 2007, 26 countries, already half of the members of the African Union, had joined the APRM. The first five peer reviews for Kenya, Ghana, Algeria, Rwanda and South Africa were completed, and implementation of the national action programmes could begin.