Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) — ECA/APRM/ECOWAS) - At the opening of the West Africa regional workshop on the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) this morning in the Ivorian capital, a clear call was made for the four countries in the sub-region yet to adhere to the initiative to do so, as the APRM is a « great tool for good governance » that can speed up their development. Mr Alassane Diamouténé, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Integration and of Ivorians out of Côte d'Ivoire, on behalf of his minister, unavoidably absent, made the call in the presence of ministers and senior civil servants - who are focal points of the Mechanism in the sub-region - as well as representatives of member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that are not yet party to initiative, namely: Cabo Verde, the Gambia, Guinea and Guinea Bissau.
"Thirteen out of fifteen countries in our ECOWAS zone have known at least a crisis period and/or civil war due to issues around governance » said Mr Diamouténé while opening the workshop.
« Putting an end to this would therefore require recourse to good governance and taking into account the real aspirations of our peoples, » he added, before explaining that it is this context that has contributed to the engagement of countries of the sub-region with initiatives that review political governance, the APRM being a reference.
Speaking before this main opening address, Dr Mustapha Mekideche - President of the APRM Panel of Eminent Persons put into context on-going efforts at re-invigorating the Mechanism, based on four guiding principles: 1) the reality principle which clearly shows that the level of governance of APRM-adhered member States has improved, compared with those states still to join the process; 2) the solidarity principle which encourages countries of a sub-region such as ECOWAS to progress on an equal footing in matters of political, social and economic governance; 3) the conviction principle which promotes the idea that Africa can pretty much make progress on the path to governance and can do so with its own means; and 4) the subsidiarity principle which seeks to create synergies with other bodies to promote adherence to the Mechanism . Among other requests, he enlisted the advocacy support role of ECOWAS for its member States to include their APRM national action plans in wider national and regional development plans.
On his part D Koffi Siméon, who spoke on behalf of the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Mr Marcel Alain de Souza, said the Commission intends to fully play its role to support the efforts of member States towards a homogenous and universal appropriation of APRM across West Africa.
The Vice President of the APRM Panel of Eminent Persons (who doubles as the main Panellist for Cote d'Ivoire) - Prof Mahmoud Youssouf Khayal, and Ms Hodane Youssouf - representing the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), who also addressed the meeting, placed the Mechanism within its context of originality and innovation. They argued that no single tool in the world matches the APRM's governance and accountability framework, which is strongly building a movement for governance in Africa in general and in West Africa in particular.
Over fifty personalities from across ECOWAS honoured the invitation of the APRM Secretariat of the AU, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). For the two days of the workshop, they will examine several APRM issues, notably getting abreast with the second-generation review methodology, ensuring sponsorship of the four ECOWAS countries that are not yet members of the Mechanism and sharing of good practices.
About the African Peer Review Mechanism
A Specialised Agency of the African Union (AU), the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was initiated in 2002 and established in 2003 by the African Union in the framework of the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
APRM is a tool for sharing experiences, reinforcing best practices, identifying deficiencies, and assessing capacity-building needs to foster policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration.
Member countries use the APRM to self-monitor all aspects of their governance and socio-economic development. African Union (AU) stakeholders participate in the self-assessment of all branches of government - executive, legislative and judicial - as well as the private sector, civil society and the media. The APRM Review Process gives member states a space for national dialogue on governance and socio-economic indicators and an opportunity to build consensus on the way forward.
-ENDS HERE-
Media Contacts
Liziwe Selana | Communications
African Peer Review Mechanism
+27 (11) 256 -3425
Email: Liziwe.selana@aprm-au.org
Abel Akara Ticha | Communication Officer
UN Economic Commission for Africa
Tel: +237 222 504 348
Email: aakara@uneca.org
Dreesen Joséphine Marie Clémence Agnimel
Communication and Public Relations Officer
APRM National Programme for Côte d'Ivoire
Deux plateaux Cocodinette MACACI
Tel: +225 22 41 60 90/ 225 07 40 49 54
Email: maclemel@yahoo.fr
