CHAPTER ONE 1. INTRODUCTION: THE APRM PROCESS AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN NIGERIA Objectives of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM): “The [APRM] process will entail periodic reviews of the policies and practices of participating states to ascertain progress being made towards achieving the mutually agreed goals and compliance with adopted political, economic and corporate governance values, and socioeconomic development codes and standards, as outlined in the Declaration on Democracy and Political, Economic and Corporate Governance.” APRM Base Document, Paragraph 15 1.1 Origin and purpose of the APRM 1. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) was adopted by the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government Summit held in Lusaka, Zambia, in July 2001. NEPAD is a strategic policy framework for Africa’s renewal and rebirth. It aims “to eradicate poverty and to place countries, individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development, and at the same time to participate actively in the world economy and body politic”. 2. The five core principles of NEPAD are: good governance; peace, stability and security; sound economic policy making and management; effective partnerships; and domestic ownership and leadership. 3. A centrepiece of the good-governance initiative is the APRM, which is a self-monitoring tool voluntarily acceded to by member states of the AU with the objective of fostering the adoption of policies, standards and practices that will lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated regional and economic integration. 4. A key guiding principle of the APRM is African ownership. Much goodwill and buy-in result from the understanding that the APRM provides an African voice for African problems. Implemented effectively, therefore, the APRM has the potential to unleash Africa’s economic and other energies. For this reason, the APRM is recognised as a most innovative process and is widely heralded as the jewel in the NEPAD crown. 5. The belief that governance must be addressed comprehensively across all sectors in order for progress to be made underpins the APRM. Consequently, the mechanism covers the following focus areas: • Democracy and good political governance. • Economic governance and management. 25