The Africa Governance Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. During the 28th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, on 30-31 January 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Member States resolved in decision Assembly/AU/Dec. 631(XXVIII) to entrust the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) with the responsibility to “play a monitoring and evaluation role for the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030”. 2. Subsequently, the African Governance Architecture (AGA) Platform Retreat of March 2018 agreed on a work plan and strategic framework that identified priorities for 2018. The APRM was identified as the lead institution for the preparation of the Africa Governance Report (AGR). The Assembly at its 11th Extr aordinary Summit in November 2018 reaffirmed the need to strengthen the capacity of the APRM to deliver on its expanded mandate and enhance its functional autonomy, to enable it to develop a report on the state of governance in Africa in collaboration with the AGA. It also requested the APRM to present an update on the state of governance in Africa to the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly scheduled or February 2019. 3. The AGR assesses the state of governance in Africa with a view to providing Member States with a comprehensive baseline that they can use to enhance governance. Although there are already publicly available reports in existence that assess the state of governance in Africa, such reports have largely been developed by multilateral organisations and independent think-tanks across the continent and abroad. The AGR is commissioned by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. 4. There is a threefold imperative for the development of an African-generated governance report: firstly, it is necessary for the continent to take control of its own development agenda and accountability mechanisms, as required by the previous decisions of the AU Assembly; secondly, the research methodology in this report benefits considerably from consultations with AU Organs and Institutions, Regional Economic Communities, and from unfettered access to Member State informants and state-held data; thirdly, the report is generated by Africans for Africa, which improves prospects for implementation of its recommendations. 5. This inaugural Report lays the foundation for future analyses of governance trends on the continent. It highlights shared values and how they can help boost governance and establishes a basis for measurement, analysis, and projection of future trends. 6. The governance assessment focuses on five key thematic areas , namely: (a) transformative leadership, (b) constitutionalism and the rule of law, (c) peace, security and governance (Silencing the Guns), (d) the nexus between development and governance, and e) the role of regional economic communities (RECS) in African governance. 7. The structure of the report is as follows: Chapter 1 is the introduction. It defines the concept of governance, provides background and context, explains the purpose and methodology of the report, and introduces the relevant structures of the AU. Chapter 2 outlines the African Governance Policy Framework, including the African Union Shared Values, within the context of the AU Agenda 2063. Chapter 3 examines transformative leadership. Chapter 4 discusses constitutionalism and the rule of law Chapter 5 deals with peace, security and governance. Chapter 6 focuses on the nexus between development and governance. Chapter 7 considers the role of regional economic communities in governance. Chapter 8 delivers a list of recommendations for the consideration of AU Member States. 8. Each chapter extensively examines and assesses the State of Governance in Africa, focusing on the relevant instruments, progress in implementation, challenges and successes of good governance, as well as best practices, and makes recommendations for improvement where necessary. 9. Governance in Africa has, in general, improved considerably. The strongest performance has been in the area of Page 12 of 96