Ghana APRM trailblazer in Africa
Accra, May 19, Ghanadot/GNA –
Professor S. K. Adjepong, Chairman of the National African
Peer Review Mechanism - Governing Council (NAPRM-GC) on
Tuesday described Ghana as a trailblazer in Africa’s quest
to entrench the tenets of democracy and good political
governance.
“Ghana’s records of achievement through the peer review
mechanism process within a period of four years – 2002 to
2006, establishment of structures, and instituting measures
for the implementation of the review recommendations are
experiences worth sharing.
“The nation’s technical know-how gathered over the period,
achievement and challenges must be shared with other
countries that are currently going through the process,”
Prof Adjepong stated during an interaction with a
three-member NAPRM-GC team from Sierra Leone.
The team headed by Dr. Osman Gbla, the Chairman, Mr Festus
E. Minoh and Mr Mohamed Jolloh was in the country to
understudy Ghana’s process for establishing the national
structures, fund raising strategy, communication and
sensitization and how to deal with the country support and
review missions.
Other issues to be discussed are dealing with international
actors, Ghana’s review process, preparation of the country
self assessment report, issue paper and the national
programme of action, and the post APRM review phase.
Prof. Adjepong, flanked by Prof. Miranda Greenstreet, Prof
S. K. B. Asante all members of the Ghana NAPRM-GC and Dr
Francis Appiah, Executive Secretary said Ghana had opened
its doors to Togo, Benin, Ethiopia, South Africa, Burkina
Faso, and Nigeria.
The NAPRM-GC Chairman said 28 African Countries have so far
acceded to the review mechanism out of which nine have been
reviewed and 15 have signed the Memorandum of Understanding.
He attributed the slow pace of implementation of the process
to poor coordination from African Peer Review Secretariat
and the APRM Eminent Panels.
Prof. Adjepong said, “these two bodies have failed to pay
regular visit to countries that had acceded to explain the
process of implementation, set-out guidelines for the whole
process, a situation which over the years had slowed down
the process”.
Dr. Gbla noted that Sierra Leone acceded to the process in
2004 but was slowed down by the post war syndrome; the
fragile transitional movement within the body politicks of
the nation, and funding hiccups.
He said since 2008, the new government had demonstrated
political commitment which had speeded up the process of
implementation.
On the independence of the Governing Council, Dr Gbla said
the composition of the 22-Member Council made it difficult
for governmental manipulation.
The Council is made up of non-state actors who formed the
majority, Representatives of Ministries, Minister of the
Presidency which serves as a focal person with other social
and civil actors.
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is an instrument
voluntarily acceded to by Member States of the African Union
as an African self-monitoring mechanism.
The mandate of the African Peer Review Mechanism 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
self-monitoring by the participating member governments to
foster the adoption of policies, standards and practices
that lead to political stability, high economic growth,
sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and
continental economic integration through sharing of
experiences and reinforcement of successful and best
practice, including identifying deficiencies and assessing
the needs for capacity building.
GNA
