Governance and APRM: Opinion
Book Review of 'APRM - Lessons from the Pioneers' by Herbert and Gruzd, written by Grant Masterson (EISA)
This review first appeared in the South African Journal of International Affairs, Volume 15, Number 1, November 2008
The African Peer Review Mechanism: Lessons from the Pioneers, by Ross Herbert and Steven Gruzd, Johannesburg, South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), 2008, 424 pp., R220 (paperback), ISBN no. 1-919969-60-8Book Review: The African Peer Review Mechanism: A compilation of studies of the process in nine African countries, the African Governance Monitoring and Advocacy Project (AfriMAP)
Reviewed by Yarik Turianskyi20 October 2010
AfriMAP’s “The African Peer Review Mechanism: A compilation of studies of the process in nine African countries” is exactly what its title claims to be – a collection of research papers, which provide an in-depth overview of the APRM process in nine countries. In terms of both content and scope, this is unprecedented, as the studies provide a detailed description of the APRM process, relationships between key actors and perceptions of success, or the lack of it. A useful short summary precedes each study (the nine countries covered are Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa), briefly describing the process, along with its major successes and failures. Even more welcome is the introductory chapter by AfriMAP’s director Ozias Tungwarara, which identifies common challenges of the APRM process and provides an analysis of common trends. He states that the overall verdict on the APRM thus far has been mixed, which is related to the fact that in most countries where the review took place, the process was driven and dominated by government. Tungwarara suggests that, “the research, report compilation, and implementation of the NPoA needs to be participatory so that it engenders a sense of ownership that is a vital principle of the APRM.”
Book Review: “Peering the Peers: Civil Society and the African Peer Review Mechanism” edited by Grant Masterson, Kojo Busia and Adele Jinadu
Review by Tšoeu Petlane
Peering the Peers is a collection of contributions from a conference on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) hosted by the Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa (EISA) in Maputo, Mozambique in 2008. The authors are academics and practitioners involved in studying and implementing this voluntary African-owned governance improvement initiative. They are well-suited to provide both the breadth of scope and depth of understanding of the processes of the APRM and its thematic content, as well as the dynamics of relationships among governments and civil society groups.
As published on http://allafrica.com/stories/201008120720.html on 12 August 2010
Kenya's referendum to decide on a new constitution ended a decades-long, tortuous journey to reach a basic law to regulate the country's politics and give voice to all its citizens.
A referendum in 2005 had rejected a new constitution, but the biggest crisis came at the end of 2007, when unprecedented post-election violence threatened to rip apart the political and social fabric of the once stable and prosperous East African country. Will a new constitution put Kenya back on the road to stability and prosperity?
APRM Gets New Leadership, Mauritius Finally Reviewed, but Reporting Slackens
An edited version of this article appeared in City Press, 1 August 2010
While conflicts in Somalia and Sudan dominated the headlines, governance in Africa also came under discussion on the sidelines of the 15th African Union (AU) Summit, held on the shimmering shores of Lake Victoria at the luxurious Munyonyo Resort outside Kampala, Uganda. The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) – Africa’s premier home-grown governance and accountability tool – held its thirteenth Summit of the Forum of Participating Heads of State and Government (the APR Forum) on 24 July 2010, just before the Summit proper kicked off.
Some key developments included the incumbent chairperson of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons, Nigeria’s Professor Adebayo Adedeji, unexpectedly announcing his imminent retirement; new Panel members having their first exposure to the Forum (with the exception of Zambia’s Ambassador Dr Siteke Mwale, absent due to illness); and Mauritius, finally, becoming the thirteenth state to be peer reviewed. But participating states are regularly missing their deadlines for reporting on the implementation of their APRM National Programmes of Action (NPOAs), without consequences or public comment.
2010 FIFA World Cup: More than just football for SA?
South Africa is ready to host the biggest sporting event this continent has ever seen. Home-ground advantage and support might just lift the national team, Bafana Bafana, to progress beyond expectations to the knockout stages. The country will also benefit from improved roads, larger airports and brand new world-class stadia. But apart from these sporting and social benefits, the 2010 FIFA World Cup offers South Africa a chance to profit politically, by helping to improve its international image and encouraging all its citizens to unite behind a national project.
PAP and Peer Review: Enhancing Involvement, Adding Value
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is arguably the strongest tool for Members of Parliament to promote and monitor governance in Africa, but interaction with the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) so far has been peripheral. Although these institutions are housed within a few kilometres in Midrand, they appear miles apart.
The following practical recommendations demonstrate how, through more regular, sustained and meaningful engagement with the APRM – at minimal extra cost – the PAP could add value by exercising oversight and championing accountability within and across states.
Peer Review Under Scrutiny
As published in City Press www.citypress.co.za, Sunday 7 February 2010
Sparks flew in dusty Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last weekend, as representatives of the 29 member states of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) – the continent’s home-grown governance promotion instrument – gathered for their biannual meeting on the fringes of the African Union (AU) Summit. Many APRM Focal Points – ministers and other senior officials – raised grave concerns about the transparency, integrity and governance of this innovative experiment. A particular concern emerged over the criteria and process for selecting the four new members of the APRM’s Panel of Eminent Persons, the key body steering the process. Ghana’s representatives even went to the media to decry “dictatorial” tendencies in APRM leadership. Who are these eminent persons? What is the health of the system that they will steer? And what do Africa’s citizens expect of them?
Peer Review should be seen as a Self-Improvement Exercise for SA
As published in The Mercury, www.themercury.co.za, 1 February 2010
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 30 January 2010, President Jacob Zuma was scheduled to report to his peers regarding the implementation of the country’s National Programme of Action (NPoA), at the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Forum meeting that takes place on the fringes of the African Union (AU) Summit. This governance improvement plan (NPoA) emerged from South Africa’s first APRM exercise undertaken in 2005-2007. A key question is whether this second annual report will be a significant improvement over the first one, delivered at the same time last year.
In a new publication titled “Off Track? Findings from South Africa’s First APRM Implementation Report”, the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) identifies deficiencies in South Africa’s first annual implementation report, meant to cover NPoA the period between November 2007 and December 2008. Our analysis suggests that the report suffers from three significant problems.
Trends in African Governance: South Africa Slipping
As published in Growth Magazine, www.growth.co.za Vol 1, Issue 8, 2009 pp 42-43.
Which way is governance going on the African continent and particularly in South Africa? According to the newly released 2009 African Governance Report (AGR-II), put together by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, it seems that many of the continent’s newly-established democracies are suffering from an authoritarian hangover.
Overall, progress is marginal at best and mixed, and worryingly, South Africa is sliding slowly down the ranks. South Africa has many internal problems that it seems not willing or able to solve, which bring into question its aspirations for leadership in governance in Africa.
Foreign Policy under Zuma: Change of Style or Substance?
As published in Growth Magazine, www.growth.co.za on 21 December 2009
Since the inauguration of President Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet in May 2009, have there been discernable changes in South Africa’s foreign policy? President Thabo Mbeki loomed large on the international stage, with grand plans to reform the African continent and the global system beyond. With domestic issues being prioritised, and strong voices condemning Zuma as unfit to lead South Africa, how would he and his team perform? Several foreign affairs experts were asked to spot significant shifts in substance, or in style in the state’s international interactions.
Nigeria: Media, Civil Society Must Call Govt to Account
As published in http://allafrica.com/stories/200912180048.html on 18 December 2009
For the vast majority of Nigeria's population of more than 140 million, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) country review report for Nigeria published this week will have significance only if the media and civil society respond strongly to its findings, and if it is able to trigger substantial reforms.
African Peer Review: A Progress Update
As published in the November 2009 edition of Growth magazine, www.growth.co.za
Seven years after it was established at the inaugural African Union (AU) Summit in Durban in July 2002, how has the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) – the continent’s voluntary home-grown governance monitoring tool – fared? Why have some states not acceded? What has been achieved? And what challenges does this process face?
Somaliland Elections - Fifth Time Lucky?
As published on http://allafrica.com/stories/200910050003.html on 5 October 2009
Last week the citizens of Somaliland were due to have elected their president for the next five years. However, they did not get to the polls, since elections were postponed for the fourth time. What does the future hold for the self-declared, independent, and unrecognised Somaliland in the Horn of Africa?
Kenya: Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence on Inequality
As published in http://allafrica.com/stories/200909080860.html
Kenya recently completed a controversial census that enquired into, among other things, the ethnicity of its citizens. For Kenya's Human Rights Commission and other organisations, probing ethnic origins poured salt on fresh wounds, even though for minority groups such as the Ogiek people, reliable statistics on their numbers would help policymakers develop relevant solutions to the Ogiek's often obscure needs as a hunter-gatherer community. However, the furore over this one part of the census questionnaire obscures a more important subject – Kenya's persistent inequality.
Gabon: Presidential Election - Time for Change or More of the Same?
As published in http://allafrica.com/stories/200908290012.html
Gabon goes to the polls to elect a new president on Sunday, nearly three months after the death of President Omar Bongo Ondimba at the age of 73. Bongo was Africa's longest-ruling president, having come to power in 1967. He had won his latest presidential term of seven years in 2005 with almost 80 percent of the vote, against a weak opposition.
The current poll pits Bongo's son, Ali-Ben, against no fewer than 20 rivals. Given the history of his father's dominance and the fractious nature of opposition politics in the oil-rich country, Ali Bongo is almost guaranteed victory.
What are the prospects that Ali-Ben will be able to hold together both the ruling coalition and the country amidst challenges to what appears to be a presidential dynasty and calls for change in the country's leadership? And does the fragmentation of the opposition represent an elite clamouring for state power or genuine political pluralism?
Malawi at 45: More than Madonna’s Hunting Ground
As published on http://www.polity.org.za/article/malawi-at-45-more-than-madonnas-hunting-ground-2009-07-07
Malawi has been in the headlines, following pop-star Madonna's battles to adopt a second child from this tiny, landlocked southern African state. But as Malawi gears up to celebrate its 45th independence day on 6 July, it's a good time to reflect on the lessons of its recent political trajectory. There were very high hopes for Malawi following its democratisation in 1994, after decades as a one-party state. But where does the country stand now?
Rwanda on Independence Day: Not Quite Free?
As published in http://allafrica.com/stories/200907010011.html
As Rwanda celebrates its independence on Wednesday, it stands as one of those African countries which appears on the face of it to be working well, despite pursuing a homegrown style of democracy which has attracted international criticism for being authoritarian.
Spectre of Corruption Threatens Democracy
As published in http://allafrica.com/stories/200906150958.html
Recent events in South Africa and Britain show that despite the fact they are regarded by many as examples of good governance, political leaders in both countries are struggling to get a handle on how both to be clean and to be seen to be clean, writes Tšoeu Petlane of the SA Institute of International Affairs.
New African Conflicts are Predictable and Preventable
As published in the Cape Times and Pretoria News
Recent history shows that proactive diplomacy can save lives, economies and continental reputation. Long-serving rulers bottle up political tensions and resist predictable power transfers, which means the death of aging autocrats ought to bring active African diplomacy to ensure stable elections and transfers of power.
Pan-African Parliament: Evaluating an Evolution
As published in the Daily News
Over the past few days, elections were held to the European Union's (EU) transnational European Parliament (EP) - an institution largely unknown in Africa. Does it have anything to teach Africa about its own continental parliamentary project - the Pan-African Parliament (PAP)?
Should Two Africas Share One Africa Day?
As published in the Daily News and Cape Argus
Africa Day: a moment for the continent to reflect on its past, and to dream of its future. But Africa Day is also a commemoration of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. At its establishment, the OAU was also the stuff of big dreams, but its legacy was a mixed one, which had made many painful mistakes. When it was replaced by the African Union (AU), many were hopeful that a new day had dawned. The OAU was part of the "old" Africa, the AU the harbringer of the "new". But "old" and "new" Africa are struggling to define what Africa Day should mean.
Gathering Crumbs from the G20's Table?
Guest column in www.allafrica.com
As leaders of the world's most productive economies meet in London on Thursday, street activism around the need for poverty alleviation and action on climate change is expected to divert the world's gaze from official proceedings. For African governments and civil society organizations, any diversion which focuses attention on issues of social justice will be welcome.
South African elections: A good example for the rest of Africa?
As published in polity.org.za
In less than one month, South Africans go to the polls to elect a government for the next five years. We have already witnessed pre-election violence in KwaZulu-Natal and legal problems regarding the right of South Africans to vote abroad. While no election proceeds without hitches, the question is whether South Africa is setting a good example for the rest of the continent with the way its elections will be conducted.
Africa: How to Raise Enough Money to Make History - Lessons from Obama's Presidential bid
Guest column, as published in www.allafrica.com
The election of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States is celebrated as a milestone in several, well known respects – not only will he assume office as the first president of color – but as an underdog who entered the race for the White House with a slim resume, an unfamiliar name pitted against an established political brand and a political novice whose prospects of raising enough money to meet up to the task were not extremely bright at the starting line.Africa: Leaders Must Rethink 'African Solutions for African Problems'
Guest column, as published in www.allafrica.com
For more than a decade now, Africa has been trying to address its developmental and political problems through an approach favouring home-grown initiatives.
Africa: Winning the Fight Against Aids?
As published on www.allAfrica.com
More countries have a firmer grasp of the extent of the epidemic - in 2004 only 102 countries maintained consistent records, whereas in 2008 45 more have better, more rigorous information about the epidemic.A New Day in America – Lessons for Africa
For the first time in many years, a political event brought tears to my eyes as Barack Obama was elected at the 44th president of the United States of America.
The news shows and radio call-in programmes in America and South Africa were full of elated conversation about the symbolism of the US electing its first black president, of the fulfilment of Martin Luther King's famous dream that America would one day live up to the full meaning of its creed.
My eyes grew misty from the realisation that it is possible to overcome the most intractable divides. That white Americans could vote in huge numbers for their first black president affirms Obama's refrain on the audacity of hope. As an American living in South Africa for 15 years, this election reminds me of my home country's ability to reinvent itself and adapt to adversity. But it also raises important questions and comparisons with democratic practice in Africa, which ought to particularly concentrate minds as South Africa itself heads into an important election next year.
New Governance Index Should Poll Public Opinion
As published in www.allafrica.com
While the new Ibrahim index assessing governance in Africa is remarkably comprehensive, it fails to poll citizens on their perceptions of how well they are ruled, writes George Katito of the South African Institute of International Affairs.Ajouter de la valeur au Mécanisme africain d'évaluation par les pairs (MAEP)
Le Moniteur du MAEP, Numéro 6, octobre 2008
Le 22 septembre 2008, les Nations Unies ont tenu à New York une rencontre de haut niveau sur « Les besoins de développement de l'Afrique ». On allait privilégier les thèmes que sont le développement de la gouvernance et la gouvernance du développement. Et rien n'est plus significatif à cet égard que le Mécanisme africain d'évaluation par les pairs (MAEP).
Swaziland: Reforms Long Overdue
AllAfrica.com
Swaziland’s parliamentary elections have underlined the dire and longstanding problems that confront the small southern African nation. The country needs seriously to reconsider its political arrangements if it is to deal with the challenges it faces.
Civil Society, principles and per diems
As published in www.allafrica.com
Across Africa, dedicated activists are beavering away at a variety of causes - environmental degradation, gender violence, human rights abuses, corruption. They are the members of churches, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), social movements and trade unions known collectively as ‘civil society'. They are animated by the noble ideal of making life better for all. Well, sort of...The Politics of Combating Aids
As published in www.allafrica.com
As this year's International Aids Conference begins in Mexico City, AllAfrica guest columnist George Katito says African governments and civil society will need to assert themselves more vigorously if the goal of an Aids-free generation is to be realised.
Zimbabwe: Will Robert Mugabe Face Trial?
As published in www.allafrica.com
Whether Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's ruler for the past 28 years, relinquishes power now or in a few years' time, Yarik Turianskyi of the South African Institute of International Affairs believes the prospects of him being tried for forced removals of his people or the election violence of his militia are remote.
G8 Must Pinpoint Aid Bottlenecks
As published in www.allafrica.c
The recent report of a high-level aid watchdog says the G8 group of industrialized nations has fallen short of its aid promises to Africa by U.S. $40 billion. Although the report stops short of charting a clear way forward in the relationship, it proposes some positive measures, writes AllAfrica guest columnist George Katito, and this week's G8 Summit needs to identify bottlenecks to aid flows.Would Barack Obama be good for Africa?
As published in www.allafrica.com
If Barack Obama is elected President of the United States, becoming the world's most powerful leader, what difference would it make to America's engagement with Africa? Will the son of a Kenyan do things differently from his predecessors, and will Africa benefit?African Union Has Power to Sanction Mugabe
As published in www.allafrica.com
As African heads of state and government prepare to meet for the 11th African Union (AU) Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, Zimbabwe continues to spiral downwards.
South Africa: Ugly Politics Aggravate Xenophobia
The attacks on migrants from elsewhere in Africa in South Africa recently are not simply a result of xenophobia. They are a product of ugly, debased politics in which mainstream political activity becomes fused with lawlessness and vengeance, write AllAfrica guest columnists Terence Corrigan and Faten Aggad.
South Africa's Tipping-point
As published in Open Democracy
What went wrong with the "rainbow nation"? The shocking attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa - mostly immigrant workers and asylum-seekers from other parts of the continent, including Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe - raise the question in sharp new form. These attacks escalated in the days after 11 May 2008, since when around sixty-two people have been killed and 670 injured, and many thousands more forced to flee their homes in a number of South African townships (initially from around Johannesburg, but later spreading to Cape Town and other areas). Both the violence and the expressions of xenophobia that accompanied it, have focused attention on failures of political leadership and social policy. More broadly it has forced South Africans to look inwards and ask whether something more fundamental is happening that needs to be addressed.The Meaning of Africa Day
AllAfrica.com
26 May 2008
by Faten
Aggad
Oh, that sunset on the beach of Sali, south of Dakar... the peace and quiet of the mountains of Lesotho... the beat of Mozambican, Cape Verdean and Angolan music... the taste of Injara in the restaurants of Addis Ababa...
'Pay for Publicity' Industry is Alive and Well
AllAfrica.com
24 April 2008
by Faten Aggad
The cause of press freedom, vital to building democracy in Africa, is being damaged by journalists who accept payment from their sources for covering the news. AllAfrica guest columnist Faten Aggad discusses the problem.
Journaliste ou opportuniste?
AllAfrica.com
24 Avril 2008
par Faten Aggad
La liberté d'expression, essentielle à la consolidation de la démocratie en Afrique, est actuellement endommagée par les journalistes qui demandent à être payés pour couvrir des événements. La chroniqueuse Faten Aggad, invitée d'AllAfrica, aborde ce problème.
The pledge of allegiance: a lot of hot air?
22 February 2008
by Terence Corrigan
The government's intention to introduce a pledge of allegiance - in an effort to inculcate values into the country's young people - is worthy of careful examination.
Can we not see ourselves in the immigrants we despise?
Business Day
12 February 2008
by Faten Aggad
THE South African government’s response to the report of the Panel of Eminent Persons of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was: “The assertion that illegal immigrants are subjected to brutal and inhuman treatment is strongly disputed.” The panel, which reviewed the state of governance in SA and produced a report, which was made public in October last year and is now accessible to the public on the APRM secretariat’s website, noted that “despite the solidarity and comradeship between black South Africans and the rest of the people of sub-Saharan Africa during the decades of struggle against apartheid and for liberation, foreigners, mostly of African descent, are being subjected to brutality and detention. Xenophobia against other Africans is currently on the rise.”
Trend towards democracy
Business Day24 December 2007
by George Katito
SEVERAL African countries made notable progress towards good governance this year, and there is reason to be optimistic that this trend should continue.
African Tradition Upholds Free Speech, Democracy
AllAfrica.com10 December 2007
Kwaku Asante-Darko and Ross Herbert
To suggest that Africans cannot understand or do not care about free speech, electoral fairness or misappropriation of public funds is to misread African traditional culture, write Kwaku Asante-Darko and Ross Herbert, in a guest column for allAfrica marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Measuring the unimportance of being earnest
Business Day20 November 2007
By Faten Aggad
Does governance matter in attracting firms to invest in Africa? Yes, if investors’ statements are to be taken at face value. Publicly, some investors justify their reluctance to invest on the continent by blaming bad governance. Risk increases and returns diminish if revenues are spent on bribes, they argue. Factually, though, there is another side to the story. An analysis of two annual publications — Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index and the World Bank’s Doing Business report — combined with other data on the top foreign direct investment (FDI) destinations in Africa certainly point to a different conclusion: that good regulations and sound policy are not always enough to guarantee increased FDI.
What is good governance?
Mail & Guardian30th October 2007
By Kwaku Asante-Darko
Recently the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which seeks to promote good governance by offering monetary incentives to African presidents who govern their nations properly, ranked the performance of 48 African governments.
The hurdles of the African Peer Review
The Monitor (Uganda)2nd October 2007
By Faten Aggad
Is Uganda to be yet another country to duck its responsibility under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)- Africa’s much heralded governance programme?
Gawaya Tegulle, writing in the September 10, 2007 edition of this newspaper, certainly seems to think so. He raises some pertinent concerns about the validity of a project that is being hampered by a leadership apparently not ready to be evaluated for its governance performance.
African Human Rights Day reveals a glimpse of continent's challenge
Cape Argus24 October 2007
By Terence Corrigan
On October 21, we celebrated if indeed we noticed it at all African Human Rights Day, commemorating the date in 1986 when the African Charter on Human and People's Rights came into effect.
Mauritania made slavery illegal last month
The East African6 September 2007
By Terence Corrigan
In August, Mauritania’s parliament voted to make slavery illegal.
It is a sad comment on the longevity and resilience of slavery that this occurred on the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the British Empire. This is not the first time that slavery has been outlawed in Mauritania. It was first declared illegal in 1905 and as recently as 1981.
Effective regional governance is an essential step in achieving African unity
Cape Times20 July 2007
by Elizabeth Sidiropoulos and Kwaku Asante-Darko
Reality is a hard taskmaster. It can be the spoiler of grand ideals, but also the voice of reason. Within two weeks of each other, the European Union and the African Union held their mid-year summits: the former hoped to save some elements of its stalled constitutional process; the latter envisaged the edifice of continental government. The outcomes of both were compromises … as is the habit of summits.
Political manipulation in SA's flawed peer-review process
Cape Argus03 June 2007
By Ross Herbert
I WISH to respond to minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi's article (Weekend Argus, May 27), in which she questions my integrity in speaking out about South Africa's flawed peer-review process and asserts that I have lied and "peddled half-truths".
Finding Zambia’s APRM COPPER
The PostMay 2007
by Terence Corrigan
The African Peer Review Process (APRM) is getting underway in Zambia. Although in its preparatory stages – with the political responsibility having recently shifted from the ministry of foreign affairs to the ministry of justice – there is a palpable sense of excitement amongst Zambian civil society. It comes as democracy is maturing, amidst calls for a new constitution, and, if planned and executed transparently, APRM presents a real opportunity to build a better country.
What is the APRM Conference in Accra about?
The Daily Graphic7 May 2007
By Dr Kwaku Asante-Darko
Ghana is hosting, from May 8 - 10, 2007. Below we bring to readers some background information and the objectives of the conference by DR KWAKU ASANTE-DARKO, a Senior Researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), located on the campus of The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.)
SA's peer review tactics dishonest
Cape ArgusMay 20, 2007
By Ross Herbert
IT IS an interesting reflection of the times that the word "denialism"
has so easily slipped into everyday usage that any ordinary person immediately knows what the phrase conveys and the tendencies that create the need for such a word.
Act now, or history will say SA ruined peer review
Sunday Times27 May 2007
by Ross Herbert
SOUTH Africa, as one of the leading voices for governance reform in Africa, has undermined that very effort by the manner in which it has conducted the African Peer Review Mechanism. And this conduct has served to jeopardise the country’s hard-earned moral authority on the global stage and within the continent.
Nigeria: Yar'Adua Must Rekindle Nepad
This Day (Lagos)29 April 2007
By Faten Aggad
Nigeria's recent presidential elections were marred with accusations of widespread electoral fraud, raising serious questions about governance in Africa's most populous nation. To unite the nation again, the new president must take bold steps to restore Nigerians' faith in democracy. The first feather in his cap may be to put the Nigerian African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process on the right track.
By Steven Gruzd
26 January 2007, Mail & Guardian
In a few days, African leaders will choose a new chairperson of the African Union (AU) for 2007. There is significant pressure from some quarters to elect Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, a leader who stands accused of genocide.
Mismanaged from the Start?
25 January 2007, The Star
Mbeki will have a lot to answer to when questioned about the African Peer Review report on governance in SA. Ross Herbert takes a look at where it went wrong and how a country that helped establish the system didn't follow its own guidelines.
In Addis Ababa this weekend, just ahead of the African Union Summit, President Thabo Mbeki must go before his peers to face questions about the final African Peer Review report on governance in South Africa.
Time for Hard Thinking about Nepad and Peer Review
By Ross Herbert1 November 2006, Guardian Magazine
Africa's leaders gather in Abuja, Nigeria, from today to review the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) along with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad). Both programmes currently face critical challenges and need heads of state to provide candid, effective leadership. To its credit, Nepad has contributed to higher aid levels and debt relief, provoked new thinking on development and created useful institutions. But many strong supporters are rightly asking: "What next?"
By Steven Gruzd
27 October 2006, This Day
In Abuja, Nigeria, African leaders will gather in a few days to brainstorm on Nepad's future. They will be tempted to celebrate success but need to ask some vital questions, particularly about the African Peer Review Mechanism that was created by Nepad.
APRM: The Need for Transparency
By Peroshni Govender26 October 2006, Daily Trust
By opening governments to scrutiny by citizens and continental peers, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) embodies commendable ideals. But as the APRM, the flagship programme of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) gains momentum, cracks threatening the legitimacy of the process are beginning to emerge – seriously jeopardising Africa’s attempt at seeking home-grown solutions to fix its problems.
Society Must Drive SA Peer Review
By Peter Farlam23 September 2005, Business Day
SA has started its own African Peer Review Mechanism process with a call for submissions from individuals, institutions and groups on any of four areas of the review: democracy and political governance; economic governance and management; corporate governance; and socioeconomic development.
‘Our Way for Them to Cheat’
By Ross Herbert20 September 2005, The Star
Last week, the government unveiled some of its plans for its self-assessment required by the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
By Steven Gruzd and Zanele Twala
25 September 2005, Cape Times
Two weeks ago, Minister of Public Service and Administration Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi announced, out of the blue, that the drafting phase in the South Africa process for the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) would start this coming Wednesday and end in November.
No-Stress Diet for African Forum
Ayesha KajeeBusiness Day, 9 May 2005
THE mixed results achieved at the close of the Pan African Parliament’s third sitting provide food for thought. While it commendably resolved to send peace missions to Côte d’Ivoire and Congo, and made cogent recommendations on the Darfur conflict, it missed opportunities to exercise a crucial function of parliaments: that of oversight.
Steven Gruzd
The Independent, Zimbabwe, and eAfrica
22 April 2005
THERE is ongoing disagreement about the role played by African countries in sanctioning Zanu PF’s landslide victory in Zimbabwe’s parliamentary election on March 31.
Zim Elections Expose Africa to Ridicule
Ayesha KajeeNews From Africa, Nairobi
21 April 2005
The upshot is that the South African government and SADC have seriously compromised their credibility in global eyes by rubber-stamping a process that even domestic observers within Zimbabwe have disputed.
Prosecution at last — but at a price
Ayesha KajeeBusiness Day, 6 April 2005
JANJAWEED and the Lord’s Resistance Army are the armed groups accused of gross human rights violations in Sudan and Uganda respectively. Both are under international scrutiny, and a landmark United Nations (UN) Security Council decision on March 31 could herald a renewed focus on justice in Africa.
Expectations ahead of the start of PAP
Melanie GovindasamySABCnews.com, 28 March 2005
With the opening of the Pan-African Parliament's (PAP) third session tomorrow, there are many expectations of what will be on the agenda for PAP. Ayesha Kajee of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), says three major issues that will be touched on. These include the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process, peace and security issues as well as democracy processes around the continent.
Steven Gruzd
Business Day, 13 December 2004
African agriculture is in crisis, and the price tag the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) has put on its recovery is not small. Nepad estimates donors (mainly) will have to cough up $251bn between 2002 and 2015. Currently, the continent gets about $16bn in development aid and imports food worth about $19bn every year.
Tough talk, little action on Darfur: human rights
Asanda SauleBusiness Day, 9 December 2004
The first two United Nations resolutions on Darfur were so threatening it was reasonable to expect decisive action from the special UN Security Council meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 18 and 19. But, as is habitual for the UN, little came of the tough talk.
Nepad should redesign Africa's economy
Moeletsi MbekiThe Star, 25 October 2004
When the colonies in Africa and Asia became independent from 1945 to 1965, their political leaders were faced with two main challenges.
