NEPAD's first concrete result
As the international community revels in a hard fought deal on debt relief for developing countries by the Group of Eight most industrialized nations, African leaders will gather in Abuja, Nigeria this weekend to demonstrate their commitment to improve governance in their countries. The 18 countries that will benefit from the accord - most of them in Africa - have met good governance and anti-corruption targets. And that commitment to democratic governance as a precondition for sustainable development and full participation in the global marketplace is taking hold throughout the continent.
The Abuja African Peer Review Forum of Heads of State of countries participating in the Peer review will spotlight a bold new approach crafted by Africans for Africa, and which has the potential to spawn new norms and standards of governance in the region. The African Peer Review Mechanism is perhaps the most vivid example of how countries in the continent are working to resolve and take the lead in meeting the difficult challenges that they face.
The peer review is anchored in a national technical process of self-assessment by countries that is validated through external review by a Panel that in turn pronounces on the state of governance in the reviewed country. Based on the review findings, persuasive peer-pressure mobilizes leaders to act together to raise the bar on governance best practices that will facilitate development and respond to the needs of citizens.
Ghana and Rwanda are the first two countries to be evaluated by the African Peer Review Mechanism, a system that will conduct studies and periodic reviews of each country that joins--23 have signed up so far. As part of the review, African experts conducted thorough studies of the political, economic and corporate governance in Ghana and Rwanda, meeting with government officials, political parties, parliamentarians, members of the press, trade unions and business and professional organizations.
But the Peer Review mechanism goes far beyond simply conducting studies and identifying problems. It is about finding solutions and resources to fix the problems, and if the resources are not available from within, all the participating governments are supposed to chip in to help fix the problem, or to collectively lobby assistance from donors and agencies. It is the first time that Africans have organized such a self-help network and it is a step that many believe will provide the key for unlocking the doors that have barred the way for development on the continent.
The Mechanism is a central feature of the New Partnership or Africa's Development (NEPAD), conceived by African leaders after years of chafing under outside-imposed policies. Under NEPAD, African leaders have developed their own strategy for meeting the continent's pressing challenges, including debilitating poverty, illiteracy, the ravages of HIV/AIDS, human rights abuse, war, and environmental degradation. The strategy which is central to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals incorporates the need for self-reliance and determination with some needed support and assistance from the international community.
Since 2002, NEPAD has been about Africans taking control and leadership of their own development agenda. As a strategy that has been adopted by all African countries, it provides a platform that allows each country to take steps to prevent conflict, promote democracy and human rights, restore productivity growth, spur development, and foster the rule of law and governance.
But through NEPAD's Peer Review Mechanism, African nations are moving to the next level - they are now set to judge each other on how well they are progressing in improving democratic governance, the essential element in improving the administration of justice, human rights, government services, and the promotion of sustainable development.
"We in Rwanda are making a solemn pledge that we will abide by the principles that govern the African Peer Review Mechanism. We are ready to submit ourselves to periodic peer reviews, and to facilitate such reviews," Rwandan President Paul Kagame said. The peer review process, he added, will "strengthen our ownership; consolidate our independence and accountability to our own people and to each other."
The United Nations Development Progamme has long understood the link between Africa's future and improved governance. "That is why we are providing essential support to the Peer Review Mechanism. It is also why I will travel to Abuja later this week to participate in the forum to unveil its anxiously awaited first results," said Abdoulie Janneh, the UN Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme.