The APRM is a specialised agency of the AU with a mandate to assist countries to self-assess and diagnose governance challenges and through a peer review process, arrive at sustainable solutions that are to be monitored over time. The process relies on an examination of country targets towards meeting international, regional and national commitments in the four pillars of political governance, socio-economic development, corporate governance and economic governance and management. The primary purpose of the APRM is ‘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 of capacity building.’178 Each of these aspects guides the methodologies, approaches and focus areas of APRM’s work at the national level. Governance outcomes are escalated to multilateral continental institutions and such as the Pan African Parliament, RECs and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The AU main investigative tool, a Questionnaire designed for national level review, provides an important backdrop for all assessments, and background and issues papers are developed by thematic experts of the APRM Secretariat. Household surveys and community scorecards are also methodological approaches used by states to provide an evidence basis for governance reviews of the APRM. The APRM structures are based at the continental and national level. At the continental level is the Africa Peer Forum of the Heads of States and Governments, the Panel of Eminent Persons, the Focal points and the Secretariat. Following the integration of the Secretariat into the AU, the organs of the AU including the AU Commission, the Permanent Representatives, Specialised Technical Committees all add extra layers of policy guidance and oversight. At the national level are the APRM structures that include the Focal Points and the APRM governance structures, referred to as councils or commissions. The APRM continental and national structures collectively constitute the APRM. 178 Objectives, Standards, Criteria and Indicators for the African Peer Review Mechanism (“the APRM”) NEPAD/HSGIC-03-2003/APRM/Guideline/OSCI 9 March 2003 63