Learning Lessons from African Peer Review
On 12-13 September 2006, SAIIA hosted a major international conference on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg. The conference – entitled APRM Lessons Learned: A Workshop for Civil Society, Practitioners and Researchers – assessed how the APRM has unfolded in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Mauritius and South Africa.
It also offered advice to upcoming countries through vibrant panel discussions and unveiled a new set of training materials to assist civil society in understanding and participating in the process. Participants proposed ways to reformulate the APRM Self-Assessment Questionnaire, examined the utility of opinion surveys in APRM and explored ways to improve the APRM process for upcoming assessments. Read the full report.
SAIIA also launched its APRM Toolkit CD-Rom, APRM Resource Book and a complete set of APRM Standards, that together make up a comprehensive training and reference kit for civil society and governments. The kit includes in-depth profiles on APRM experiences in early countries, official reports and cutting-edge academic analysis. Matseliso Mapetla from the National University of Lesotho said: ‘The workshop has been extremely informative and helpful in providing lessons of experience for my organisation which is earmarked to provide technical assistance to the APRM process being started in Lesotho. This information is definitely worth sharing widely.’
To find out more, contact Ross Herbert, ross.herbert@wits.ac.za or +27 11 339-2021.
