Introduction Bridging Africa‘s developmental deficits has been the central question facing the continent‘s leaders, policy makers and people at large for decades. No less than any other part of the world, Africa aspires to stability, prosperity and rising living standards. Over the past three decades, Africa has seen glimpses of what might be possible. Multi-party elections, high economic growth rates, large foreign investments, technological revolutions and growing optimism have replaced the old view of Africa as ‗The Hopeless Continent‘ with one of ‗Africa Rising.‘3 Yet this process remains far from complete. For all the progress that Africa has made, it is still faced with formidable challenges. For example, while economic progress has injected vast amounts of money into Africa, it has not been able to overturn large-scale deprivation on the continent. Multi-party elections are now commonplace, but they are often conducted in atmospheres which undermine fair competition. How should we address this? Conceptually, a consensus has emerged – codified in the New Partnership for Africa‘s Development (NEPAD) – that governance systems and practices determine the future of the continent. The NEPAD document thus declared:4 African leaders have learnt from their own experiences that peace, security, democracy, good governance, human rights and sound economic management are conditions for sustainable development. They are making a pledge to work, both individually and collectively, to promote these principles in their countries, sub-regions and the continent. This finds renewed expression in Agenda 2063, Africa‘s development blueprint for the next five decades. Comprehensive in scope, Agenda 2063 is designed around seven major aspirations:5        A prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development; An integrated continent, politically united, based on the ideals of Pan Africanism and the vision of Africa‘s Renaissance; An Africa of good governance, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law; A peaceful and secure Africa; An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and ethics; An Africa whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children; and Africa as a strong, united, resilient and influential global player and partner. To realise these goals, reform of Africa‘s governance systems and practices is critical. The most prominent and notable initiative in this respect is the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the continent‘s home-grown governance selfassessment tool. Its remit is described thus: 6 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 for capacity building. As of October 2017, the APRM has released Country Review Reports (CRRs) on 17 of its 36 participating states. Four more reports have been completed and are awaiting formal publication. These are extensive studies of the countries that have undergone review. They identify and analyse the governance challenges and accomplishments of the countries in question under four thematic areas – democracy and political governance (DPG), economic governance and management (EGM), corporate governance (CG), and socio-economic development (SED) – and a section dealing with cross-cutting issues. This report owes its origin to two presentations made by H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, at two different meetings of the APR Forum of Heads of State and Government of APRM-Participating Countries – the 23rd APR Forum held in June 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the 25 th APR Forum held in August 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya. 3 4 5 6 These phrases came to prominence as cover story headlines of The Economist, in May 2000 and December 2011 respectively. OAU, Nepad framework document, 2001, p. 16 AUC, Agenda 2063 framework document: the Africa we want (Addis Ababa, September 2015), pp. 221 OAU, „New Partnership for Africa‟s Development, The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)‟, AHG/235, 8 July 2002, para. 3. 12