Mozambique: Defence Minister calls for greater cooperation with Zambia
Bishop Emeritus of Libombos, Monsignor Dinis Sengulane, has been elected a member of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Panel of Eminent Persons.
He responded to his appointment with gratitude. “Certainly there have been other candidates, and if it is a Mozambican who has this responsibility, then it is thanks to God that Mozambique is not in a moral crisis. From the moral point of view, others see in us a people who can make some contribution to the well-being of this great continent that is Africa. We accept with gratitude that our country can play such an important role,” he said.
Monsignor Dinis Sengulane was elected on the National Forum of APRM last Saturday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the 26th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union started yesterday.
The Chairperson of the APR Forum approved the appointment of new panel members, including, besides Bishop Sengulane, Ms. Fatima Zohra Kharaja (Algeria), Prof Ibrahim Agboda Gambari (Nigeria), and Amb. Mona Omar Attia (Egypt), Amb. Ombeni Yohana Sefue (Tanzania) and Prof. Augustin Loada (Burkina Faso).
Purpose of the APRM
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was established in 2003 by the New Partnership for Africa (NEPAD) Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) as an instrument for monitoring performance in governance among Member States. The APRM is a self-monitoring instrument and its membership is voluntary.
The Mechanism’s primary objective is to foster the adoption of policies, values, standards and practices of political and economic governance that lead to political stability, accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration, economic growth and sustainable development.
By joining the APRM, Member States agree to voluntarily and independently review their compliance with African and international governance commitments. Performance and progress are measured in four thematic areas: democracy and political governance; economic governance and management; corporate governance; and socio-economic development.
Reviews include the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, the private sector, civil society and media. The first review is carried out within 18 months of a Member State joining the APRM and then every two to four years. Members can request a review outside of the usual framework, and the APRM can commission a review at the request of participating Heads of State and Government if there are signs of political and economic crisis.
Each review leads to a national programme of action for the state concerned to address problems identified. A monitoring body prepares an annual report on progress in implementing the programme of action for the APRM Forum of Heads of State and Government. Country review and implementation reports are made available to the public.
As at June 2016, 35 AU Member States had joined the APRM by signing its Memorandum of Understanding. The most recent country was Côte d’Ivoire which joined the APRM in January 2015. Seventeen (17) countries have completed their self-assessments and have been peer-reviewed by the Forum while three (3) countries Djibouti, Chad and Senegal have completed their self-assessment and are about to be peer-reviewed at the next APR Forum. The 35 members are: Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Angola, Djibouti, Lesotho, Niger, Sudan, Benin, Egypt, Liberia, Nigeria, UR of Tanzania, Burkina Faso , Equatorial Guinea, Malawi, Rwanda, Togo, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali , São Tomé and Príncipe, Tunisia, Chad, Gabon, Mauritania, Senegal, Uganda, Republic of Congo , Ghana, Mauritius , Sierra Leone and Zambia .
Evolution
The APRM was initiated in 2002 and established in 2003 by the AU as part of the NEPAD initiative. Between 2003 and 2014, the Mechanism operated as an independent body under a memorandum of understanding signed by Member States. The APRM was formally integrated into the AU system at its June 2014 Summit. The AU Assembly formally requested the AU Commission and APRM Secretariat to consult on how to give effect to this integration.
APRM’s structure
The APRM has structures at both continental and national levels. The following three bodies are the structures at the continental level.
• African Peer Review (APR) Forum: a committee of all participating Member States’ Heads of State and Government. The Forum is the APRM’s highest decision-making authority.
• APRM Panel of Eminent Persons: appointed eminent persons with the responsibility of ensuring the Mechanism’s independence, professionalism and credibility. Panel members are selected and appointed by the Forum for a term of up to four years, with the exception of the Chairperson who is appointed for five years.
• APRM Secretariat: provides technical, coordinating and administrative support services to the APRM.
At the national level, country guidelines call for members to put structures in place to facilitate effective implementation of the APRM. Of the countries reviewed so far, the practice has been to designate structures such as an APRM national focal point, national commission or governing council, national APR secretariat and technical research institutions.
In addition, the APRM has special support agreements with three Africa-based institutions designated by the Forum as strategic partners: the African Development Bank (AfDB), UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Africa.
APRM Forum Chairpersons
H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, president of Kenya (appointed June 2015)
H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia (appointed 26 May 2013)
H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (2012–2013)
The late H.E. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (2007–2012)
H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria (2003–2007)
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