Ramaphosa elected chair of APRM at AU summit

Unless recommendations of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) were executed by the heads of state in their respective countries, reviews would not translate into tangible action at a country level, President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned.

In his address to an African Union (AU) gathering in Addis Ababa – where he assumed the role of chair of the APRM – Ramaphosa reminded his counterparts of the importance of the country review processes which he maintained were “at the core of the mandate and work of the APRM”.

Established in 2003, the APRM is a specialised agency of the AU, serving as a platform for:

• Sharing experiences and reinforcing best practices towards political stability, accelerated economic growth, regional and continental integration, as well as sustainable development.

• Fostering change in underlying deficiencies in governance and socio-economic development processes among member states.

Ramaphosa will serve a two-year term as chair.

He described the country review processes as “a niche that distinguishes our mechanism from other equally important initiatives on our continent”.

He said: “We stand on the threshold of a new epoch of governance and leadership in Africa. We need to build on our achievements and encourage more of our member states to join those countries that have undergone country review processes.

“South Africa will soon launch processes at home towards our second generation country review.

“We must continue to encourage countries that have undergone the review process to implement the recommendations contained in their national plan of action. These recommendations are key in achieving the much-needed impact on our continent.

“Unless they are executed, the reviews will not translate into tangible action at a country level.”

The APRM, said Ramaphosa, was “a ground-breaking political mechanism that convenes us among our peers”.

He added: “It must be a forum that continuously strives to be open as well as collaborative, operating in the spirit of fellowship, friendship and brotherhood.

“Our engagements as leaders must continue to be characterised by honesty, critical introspection and sincerity.

“I have no doubt that the deliberations in this forum will be as frank and robust as they have always been.

“Be assured that South Africa will play its part to deepen the review processes and upscale the implementation of actions needed to improve governance.”

He said SA was looking forward to being part of a continental drive to persuade other countries to become APRM members. The voluntary body has 37 members.

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