Governance Assessments in
Africa: the role of the African
Peer Review Mechanism
Samuel Cudjoe, Executive Secretary, National
APRM Secretariat at the Governance for
Development in Africa – Residential School; Alisa
Hotel, Accra; Monday, May 6, 2013
Presentation Outline
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Governance Assessments in Africa
Why the APRM
Participation in the APRM
Leadership & Management Structure
APRM Instrument
Stages of the Peer Review Process
Achievements
Challenges
Myths and Misconceptions
Conclusion
Governance Assessments in Africa
• Over the past decade governance assessments have
become increasingly important tools in Africa for
monitoring whether governments are succeeding or
failing in their commitments in legislation,
government policies and international law – TRUST
Africa
Governance Assessments in Africa
• Afrobarometer
– an independent, nonpartisan survey that measures the
social, political and economic atmosphere in Africa
• The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG)
– An annual assessment of governance performance in
Africa
• African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)
– A voluntary mechanism that assesses democracy &
good political governance, economic governance &
management, corporate governance, socio-economic
development
Governance Assessments in Africa
• African Governance Outlook (AfDB)
– Assesses African countries policy reforms in financial
governance, and their institutional capacity to implement
such reforms
• African Governance Report (UNECA)
• Cost of Doing Business (World Bank)
• Public Expenditure & Financial Accountability
& Report (IMF)
WHY APRM?
• At the end of the 1990s African leaders reviewed the
functioning of the Organization of African Unity
(OAU)
• Transformation of the OAU to the African Union (AU)
• OAU was government-based and dominated, but the
AU is more people-centered (Constitutive Act of the
AU, 2000)
• Emphasis shifted from political struggles to
economic emancipation
“My generation, the generation of the
independence struggle, must give way to new
ideas – ideas of the 21st century”
Rupiah Banda, former president of Zambia
WHY APRM?
• Two decades of failed STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT
PROGRAMMES
• NEPAD – established in 2001 as a response to
Africa’s economic marginalization and need for
national strategic development capacity
• Key dimensions of NEPAD are two fold:
– Accountability/Leadership – Africa taking the lead in
efforts to achieve the development vision espoused
in the AU Constitutive Act
– Regional Integration – as a sin qua non for Africa’s
inclusive growth and development
WHY APRM?
• NEPAD has formulated a number of continental
policy frameworks
– Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Plan
(CAADP)
– Short Term Action Plan (STAP) for Infrastructure
– Programme of Infrastructure Development in Africa
(PIDA)
– Environmental Action Plan (EAP)
– Capacity Development Strategic Framework (CDSF)
• African leaders recognized that good governance and
leadership are critical to the achievement of the desired
growth
• At the 6th Summit of the Heads of State and Government
Implementation Committee (HSGIC) of the NEPAD adopted
the APRM
WHY APRM?
• The mandate of the APRM is to ensure that the
policies and practices of participating states
conform to the agreed political, economic and
corporate governance values, codes and
standards contained in the Declaration on
Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate
Governance
• The APRM is the mutually agreed instrument for
monitoring by participating member
governments
PARTICIPATION IN THE APRM
• Participation in the APRM is OPEN to all member
states of the African Union
• Following adoption of the Declaration on
Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate
Governance by the AU countries wishing to
accede to the APRM will notify the Chairman of
the APR Forum
• This entails signing a MEMORANDUM OF
UNDERSTANDING to submit to periodic peers
reviews, as well as facilitate such reviews
PARTICIPATION IN THE APRM
• RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES
– The MOU clearly defines the following responsibilities
of the participating country
– Firstly, to sign the MOU on Technical Assessments and
the Country Review Visit
– Secondly, to contribute fully to the funding of the
APRM (minimum contribution of USD100,000
annually)
– Thirdly, to develop a National Program of Action
– Fourthly, to ensure participation of all stakeholders in
the process
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
STRUCTURE
• CONTINENTAL LEVEL
• Forum of the Heads of State and Government of the
APRM (APR Forum) – overall responsibility of the
APRM
• APR Committee of Focal Points *– intermediary
between the APR Forum and APR Secretariat
• African Peer Review Panel of Eminent Persons(APR
Panel) – oversee the conduct of the APRM process
and ensure its integrity
• APRM Secretariat – provides technical, coordinating
and administrative support services for the APRM
LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
• NATIONAL LEVEL
• APR Focal Point – should be at a Ministerial level, or
person that reports directly to the Head of State or
Government*
• National Councils/Commissions – oversee the
conduct of the APRM and ensure its integrity*
• APR Secretariat – provide technical, coordinating and
administrative support to the Councils/Commissions
• Independent Technical Review Institutions
APRM INSTRUMENT
• 80 page questionnaire
• 4 key themes
– Democracy and Good Political Governance
– Economic Governance & Management
– Corporate Governance
– Socio-Economic Development
APRM INSTRUMENT
• DEMOCRACY & GOOD POLITICAL GOVERNANCE
(objectives)
– Entrenching Constitutional Democracy and Rule of Law
– Upholding the Separation of Powers
– Prevention and Management of Intra- and Inter State
Conflicts
– Promotion and protection of Civil and Political Rights
– Ensuring Accountable, Efficient and Effective Public Service
Delivery
– Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women
– Protection and Protection of the Rights of Children and
Young Persons
– Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Vulnerable
Groups, including Internally Displaced Persons and
Refugees
APRM INSTRUMENT
• ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
– Design and Implement Economic Policies for
Sustainable Development
– Encourage Ownership and Participation of Key
Stakeholders in Policy Formulation and
Implementation
– Promote Sound Public Financial Management
– Fight Corruption and Money laundering
– Accelerate and Deepen Regional Integration in the
Monetary, Trade and Investment Domain
– Develop and Implement Trade and Investment
Policies that Promote Economic Growth
APRM INSTRUMENT
• CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
– Promoting an Enabling Environment and Effective
Regulatory Framework for Business Organizations
and other entities
– Ensuring Effective Leadership and Accountability
of Organizations
– Ensuring Ethical Conduct within Organizations
– Ensuring that Organizations Treat Stakeholders
Fairly and Equitably
– Ensuring that Organizations Act as Good
Corporate Citizens
APRM INSTRUMENT
• BROAD-BASED SUSTAINABLE SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPEMNT
– Promote and Accelerate Broad-based Sustainable
Socio-Economic Development
– Encourage Broad-Based participation in
Development
– Poverty, Unemployment and Inequality
– Progress towards Gender Equality
STAGES OF THE PEER REVIEW PROCESS
• STAGE 1: PREPARATORY STAGE
– Country Support Mission to access readiness
– Administration of the APRM questionnaire which
covers the four thematic areas
– Preparation of the Country Self Assessment Report
(CSAR) and preliminary National Program of Action
(NPOA)
– Both CSAR and NPOA are submitted to the APR
Secretariat
– APR Secretariat prepares Background Document
through desk research
– An Issues Paper is prepared to guide the Peer Review
STAGES OF THE PEER REVIEW PROCESS
• STAGE 2: COUNTRY REVIEW MISSION
– Under the leadership of the APR Panel, the Country
Review Team (CRT) visits the country to hold the
widest range of consultations – Executive, Parliament,
Judiciary, political parties, trade unions, private
sector, civil society, media, academia and professional
bodies
– Purpose is to learn about the perspectives of the
different stakeholders on governance in the country
and build consensus of how challenges could be
addressed
STAGES OF THE PEER REVIEW PROCESS
• STAGE 3: COUNTRY REVIEW REPORT
– The report is prepared based on the Background
Document, CSAR, Issues Paper and information
gathered during the Review Mission
– The report also takes account of the political, economic
and corporate governance and socio-economic
development commitments made in the NPOA
– Draft Report is first discussed with the Government
concerned to give it the opportunity to react to the
findings
– The responses from the Government is appended to
the report
– The country finalises its NPOA
STAGES OF THE PEER REVIEW PROCESS
• STAGE 4: THE PEER REVIEW
– The Country Review Report is submitted to the APR
Forum for consideration
– If the government shows a demonstrable will to
rectify the identified shortcomings, then participating
Governments must provide what assistance they can
– If the necessary political will is not forth coming, the
participating governments should engage in
constructive dialogue
– Should this fail the Government is put on notice of
their collective intention to proceed with appropriate
measures within a given timeframe
STAGES OF THE PEER REVIEW PROCESS
• STAGE 5: FINAL/DISSEMINATION STAGE
– Six months after the consideration of the Report by
the APR Forum, it is formally and publicly tabled in
key regional and sub-regional structures such as the
Regional Economic Commissions (RECs), Pan African
Parliament (PAP), the African Commission on Human
and Peoples’ Rights, the Economic, Social and Cultural
Council (ECOSOCC) of the AU, etc
– It is simultaneously publicly launched in the reviewed
country.
ACHIEVEMENTS
• Thirty-three countries have acceded
REGION
COUNTRY
WEST AFRICA
BENIN, BURKINA FASO, GHANA, LIBERIA, MALI,
MAURITANIA, NIGER, NIGERIA, SENEGAL,
SIERRA LEONE, TOGO
CENTRAL AFRICA CAMEROUN, CHAD, GABON, SAO TOME &
PRINCIPE, REPUBLIC OF CONGO, RWANDA
EAST AFRICA
DJIBOUTI, ETHIOPIA, KENYA, TANZANIA,
UGANDA, MAURITIUS
NORTH AFRICA
ALGERIA, EGYPT, SUDAN, TUNISIA
SOUTH AFRICA
ANGOLA, LESOTHO, MALAWI, MOZAMBIQUE,
SOUTH AFRICA, ZAMBIA
ACHIEVEMENTS
• 17 countries have completed the review
REGION
COUNTRY
WEST
BENIN, BURKINA FASO, GHANA, MALI,
NIGERIA, SIERRA LEONE
RWANDA
ETHIOPIA, KENYA, TANZANIA, UGANDA,
MAURITIUS
ALGERIA
LESOTHO, MOZAMBIQUE, SOUTH AFRICA,
ZAMBIA
CENTRAL
EAST
NORTH
SOUTH
• Second Review – KENYA*
ACHIEVEMENTS
• Citizen involvement in national dialogue
– The APRM puts the citizens at the heart of the
country self assessment
– The voices of citizens are captured in the CSAR
– It is citizens NOT governments that tell their story,
their lived experiences
ACHIEVEMENTS
• Influence on policy
– GHANA – Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy
(GPRS II). The NPOA was mapped onto the GPRS II
– Key initiatives: Northern Development Fund (expanded
into Savanna Accelerated Development Authority
(SADA)
– Establishment of the Ministry of Chieftaincy & Culture
– Key legislation – Whistleblower Protection Act,
Financial Administration Act, the Internal Audit Agency
Act
– Informed the Constitutional Review
ACHIEVEMENTS
• Heads of State and Government met in Cotonou,
Benin in October 2008 to discuss the cross-cutting
issue of Managing Diversity
• Domestication of standards and codes
– National laws and policies are been reviewed to
conform to the Declaration on Democracy, Political,
Economic and Corporate Governance, and other
ratified codes and standards
CHALLENGES
• The challenge of self assessments
– Unlike traditional assessments where countries
stand to lose some form of assistance, self
assessments lack the “teeth to bite”
• Independence of the National Governing
Councils/Commissions
– NGC critical to protect the integrity of the process
– Presence of Cabinet Ministers can be intimidating
– In some cases the APRM Secretariat is under the
Presidency
CHALLENGES
• Bulky survey instrument
– Challenges in administering the questionnaires
– Translating into national languages to reach a
greater number of people
– National capacities to undertake such exercises
(Rwanda relied on Kenyan institutions; Togo
unable to proceed because of similar challenges)
• “Shopping list” NPOA
CHALLENGES
• Secrecy surrounding the Country Self
Assessments Report
– Idea is not to politicize the findings of the report
– But it is the citizens’ report and they have a right
to validate the findings
– Case of Ghana (during national validation when
the document had not been circulated)
– Case of South Africa (where a technical review
institution published the draft document on its
website)
CHALLENGES
• IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NPOA
– The NPOA is intended to be merged into National
Development Plans to ensure implementation
– Where the Review occurs in the middle of a
development cycle (Medium Term Expenditure
Framework) poses challenges
– Misconception of who implements (Nigeria NGC
wishing to control NPOA budget)
CHALLENGES
• Government reactions to the CRR
– Rwanda (gachacha judicial system; press and
opposition freedoms)
– South Africa (genocide)
– Kenya (ethnic politics (1st), settlement of internally
displaced persons (2nd)
– Mali (marginalization of the north)
– Ethiopia (market and financial reforms; opening
up political space)
– Uganda (space for opposition)
– Ghana (Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs)
CHALLENGES
• Cynicism
– Past attempts to set out continent wide initiatives
have been unsuccessful due to questionable
leadership and ownership
– Lagos Plan of Action and Financial Act of Lagos (1980)
– African Alternative Framework to Structural
Adjustment for Socio-Economic Transformation (1989)
– Africa’s Priority Programme for Economic Recovery
(1986 – 1990)
– The African (Arusha) Charter for Popular participation
and Development (1990)
– Abuja Treaty (1991)
– Cairo Agenda (1994)
“NEPAD and APRM are “neo-liberal”
economic prescription and self imposed
form of structural adjustment. They are a
continuation of failed IMF/World Bank
policies, re-decorated and presented as
African-led and inspired”
Critics of NEPAD
CHALLENGES
• Acceding to the APRM
– Insufficient preparation at the country level
– It is a Head of State and Government that agrees
to sign up to the process. Civil society is principally
excluded and as a result a critical mass of society
are not fully involved before acceding
– Ownership therefore becomes a challenge and
serves as a catalyst for its rejection
MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS
• ASSESSMENT OF THE PERFORMANCE OF THE
EXECUTIVE
– The assessment covers all stakeholders including
the Executive, Parliament, Judiciary, private sector,
civil society organizations, etc
• AFRICAN COUNTRIES CANNOT HOLD
THEMSELVES TO STANDARDS
– Countries in the West African Economic and
Monetary Union (UEMOA) have demonstrated
with respect to financial, monetary and trade
standards
MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS
• APRM WILL RANK COUNTRIES
– The APRM recognizes that countries are at different
stages of political and economic development. The
essence of the APRM is peer learning and willingness
to change
• APRM IS A NEO-COLONIAL IMPOSITION
– NEPAD is changing the donor/recipient relationship to
a partnership of mutual obligations and accountability
– The APRM seeks compliance with the provisions of
standards and codes which have been ratified by
African states
CONCLUSION
• The impact of the APRM has been mixed. It is
helping to improve the governance landscape of
Africa while notable challenges remain.
• 10 years after the adoption of the APRM, 33
countries representing over 76 percent of the
population of Africa have acceded.
• Democratic practices are becoming a norm rather
than the exception. Ghana and Kenya have
demonstrated that election disputes can be
settled in court rather than on the streets
CONCLUSION
• Media plurality and growth is affording
citizens greater freedoms of expression.
• Better management of the economies are
creating opportunities for growth for citizens
in Africa.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION