The APRM: assessing origins, institutional relations and achievements

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a tool designed to promote good governance on the continent. It was created when the African Union, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and the Pan-African Parliament emerged in what is called the ‘African Renaissance’ championed by South African President Thabo Mbeki. It grew from the recognition that governance matters. This book explores how the APRM has evolved from theory to practice in a variety of contexts using case studies and transversal analysis, multiple voices from different African civil society actors examine the process through their own perspectives.

The book addresses the following four broad themes:

• Democracy and political governance
• Economic governance and management
• Corporate governance
• Socio-economic development

Each theme addresses issues related to the governance performance of the country, and assesses adherence to a variety of standards and codes. In theory, governments are held accountable by:

• Their citizens during the self-assessment phase
• African governance experts during the Country Review Mission
• The APR Forum of Participating Heads of State and Government.

In ten chapters, the book does the following:

• It looks at how the tool was designed and gives an overview of why and how the APRM emerged and examines the philosophy behind the process
• Analyses the APRM process in Uganda from the perspective of civil society organizations
• It is about the protection for whistleblowers and freedom of information legislation in South Africa
• Looks at South African APRM from a journalist’s vantage point
• Reflects on being a ‘Lead Technical Agency’ in the Kenyan national process
• Examines the need for academic rigor, objectivity and skill in extracting citizens’ views through opinion surveys
• Provides advice for civil society groups on how best to use the APRM as a tool to hold public officials accountable for spending public funds
• Compares and analyses the action plans emerging from some of the early APRM countries, including Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, Algeria, South Africa and Benin
• Gives insights from six early APRM Country Review Reports
• Examines recurring trends, including unemployment, access to land, weak education systems, gender discrimination and access to healthcare, within the context of aid dependent countries.