Governance Perspectives is a monthly update published by the Governance and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Governance Perspectives aims to contribute to a robust and informed debate on the nature of Africa's governance challenges and successes. We hope to keep civil society groups, researchers, governments and development partners informed about issues relating to governance, accountability and democracy. Each month, Governance Perspectives will feature SAIIA Occasional Papers as well as opinion articles, and links to interesting, relevant new material.
We hope that you will visit our website to subscribe in order to continue receiving this newsletter, and look forward to hearing your views. Steven Gruzd, programme head, APRM Programme, steven.gruzd@wits.ac.za
APRM in the News
Process nears completion in Tanzania: Tanzania acceded to the APRM in July 2004, and is finally reaching the end of its Country Self-Assessment phase. A report in the Citizen Daily profiles a workshop to validate the draft text and a follow-up article outlines some key findings of the Tanzanian Country Self-Assessment Report. In its 2009 Annual Report, the APRM Secretariat said that Tanzania’s Country Review Mission “was planned for the first half of 2010.”
Managing diversity: A Cross-cutting issue: Uganda’s Daily Monitor highlights some key dimensions of this pervasive African problem that emerged at the Third Governance Forum on ‘Fostering Unity in Diversity in Uganda’, organised by the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the Uganda Human Rights Commission.
Djibouti making headway on Peer Review: On 27-28 January 2010, a workshop was held in Djibouti to prepare that country’s government for the APRM and to help them develop a national policy monitoring programme. Click here the materials and presentations from the event in French on the Governance Assessment Portal, and here for a summary in English. The event was organised jointly by the Djibouitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Secretariat General of Government, with support from the UNDP’s Oslo Governance Centre and the UNDP office in Djibouti. SAIIA and DIAL, a French development research institute, were requested to facilitate several sessions.
UN Supports APRM Implementation: The Chinese Website People’s Daily Online reported in March that the UN General Assembly “welcomed progress in implementing the African Peer Review Mechanism -- a voluntary self-monitoring system to foster the New Partnership development objectives -- and encouraged states that had not done so to consider joining it.”
Events
APRM fast-tracking and streamlining – First drafts due: The five think tanks and consultancies working on the APRM Secretariat’s project to “streamline and fast-track the APRM” – through updating the Self-Assessment Questionnaire and designing a monitoring and reporting framework – will meet at the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 6-7 April 2010, to discuss their first drafts. SAIIA is assisting to revise the Economic Governance and Management Section of the Questionnaire.
Leadership, governance vital for APRM’s future: On 19 February 2010, SAIIA held a round table discussion entitled, ‘The APRM: Progress and Prospects’ at its Johannesburg head office. The main speaker was Dr Kojo Busia, head of the APRM Support Unit at the UNECA, with responses from Ozias Tungwarara, director of AfriMAP, Evelynne Change from the APRM Secretariat and Patrick Mpedzisi from the Southern African Trust. The discussion weighed up the considerable achievements and formidable challenges facing the APRM system. Chief among them was strong, credible visionary leadership. Click here for photographs from the event and visit SAIIA’s website in early April for an Occasional Paper summarising the discussion.
Lesotho review under the spotlight: On 29 March 2010, SAIIA hosted the former APRM Focal Point from Lesotho, His Excellency Ambassador HM Leteka as the main speaker in a round table discussion on ‘Lessons from Lesotho’s APRM Process’ in Johannesburg. Respondents were Professor Roger Southall from Wits University, who has followed Lesotho’s politics from 30 years, and SAIIA researcher Tšoeu Petlane, who was the former research coordinator in Lesotho’s APRM Process. A report will be produced and uploaded to SAIIA’s website in the coming weeks.
The Oil Factor in Sino–Angolan Relations at the Start of the 21st Century
by Ana Cristina Alves
SAIIA Occasional Paper, No 55, February 2010
Download - English [.pdf]
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Aid to Africa: What can the EU and China Learn from Each Other?
by Jin Ling
SAIIA Occasional Paper, No 56, March 2010
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From Isolation to Integration? A Study of Chinese Retailers in Dakar
by Romain Dittgen
SAIIA Occasional Paper, No 57, March 2010
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New Thinking on the Governance of Water and River Basins in Africa: Lessons from the SADC Region
by Anthony Turton
SAIIA Research Report, No 6, February 2010
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Securing a Social Licence to Operate? From Stone Age to New Age Mining in Tanzania
by Alison Goldstuck and Tim Hughes
SAIIA Research Report, No 7, February 2010
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Emerging Commercial Rivalries in Africa: A View from South Africa
by Dianna Games
SAIIA Policy Briefing, No 15, February 2010
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Brazil as an Emerging Power: The View from the United States
by Shannon O’Neil
SAIIA Policy Briefing, No 16, February 2010
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The South African Journal of International Affairs seeks article submissions focused on Africa's (and South Africa's) international relations, and key governance and developmental challenges.
The Table of Contents for Volume 17.1 is:
1. Will they have table manners? The G20, emerging powers and global responsibility by Jorge Heine
2. Refocusing South Africa’s economic diplomacy: The ‘African Agenda’ and emerging powers by Mzukisi Qobo
3. The incentives and informal forces of development cooperation: Key challenges for South Africa to consider by Ross Herbert
4. South Africa’s politics of peace and security by Alex Vines
5. Political movements and coalition politics in Kenya: Entrenching Ethnicity by Gilbert Khadiagala
6. In permanent opposition: Botswana’s other political parties by David Sebudubudu and Bertha Z Osei-Hwedie
7. Bilateral investment treaties: The foreclosure of domestic policy space by Nicole Yazbek
African scholars are especially encouraged to make submissions. Articles should be 5000 to 8000 words long, employing endnotes for referencing. All submissions will be subject to a blind peer review, and articles must not be simultaneously under consideration for publication elsewhere. Please forward an abstract of the article to the Editor, Martha Bridgman, at sajia.editor@saiia.org.za or on CD in MS Word format via post to:
SAJIA,
PO Box 31596,
Braamfontein,
2017, South Africa.
Authors of successful abstracts will be notified with regard to submission of a full article.
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The APRM Toolkit has been updated and now includes the Nigeria APRM Country Review Report, the latest SAIIA Occasional Papers and a new external links page. If you would like to submit a paper or an article for the APRM Toolkit please email Yarik Turianskyi at yarik.turianskyi@wits.ac.za with the subject line "APRM Toolkit'.
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SAIIA Ranked Top Think Tank in Sub-Saharan Africa
The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) has been ranked the best think tank for 2009 in southern and sub-Saharan Africa in the annual international survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. The survey identified some 503 think tanks in the sub-Saharan region.
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If you would like to submit an original, unpublished, governance-related manuscript for possible inclusion in the SAIIA Occasional Paper series, please email steven.gruzd@wits.ac.za
Opinions expressed in papers and articles are those of their authors, and not SAIIA.
SAIIA gratefully acknowledges the Royal Netherlands Embassy in South Africa, which has generously supported the Governance & APRM Programme and this series.
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