Box 1.1: Status of APRM implementation as of January 2013 The APRM is clearly the most innovative instrument for entrenching democracy and good governance in Africa. It is unprecedented in the history of governance in Africa. The key principle of the APRM process is to propel the citizen to the centre of public policy and governance practice in Africa by ensuring broadbased participation of all stakeholders in the review process. In so doing, it heightens public awareness of governance and development challenges, and builds national dialogue and consensus around critical governance issues. The National Programme of Action (NPoA) that comes out of the review process provides an implementation framework for the state and stakeholders to address governance challenges and meet developmental goals. It is equally a monitoring tool for countries to track progress made. The accession of Niger to the APRM during the Summit of the APR Forum held in Addis Ababa, in July 2012 brings the membership to 31. These are: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia. Fifteen countries have completed the first review process and have been peer reviewed by the APR Forum. These are Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Algeria, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Mali, Mozambique, Lesotho, Mauritius, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone. Zambia and Tanzania have completed their self-assessment and received the Country Review Missions (CRM). Kenya was the first APRM Member State to begin the second review process in 2011. A number of countries, which for the last 4-5 years have been implementing their National Plan of Action (NPoA), are preparing for the second reviews. These include Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria and South Africa. 1.1.2. The APRM Process 6. The APRM consists of five inter-related stages as elaborated in the base documents adopted by the Heads of States and Governments participating in the APRM: Stage One 7. Once the country has signed the APRM Memorandum of Understanding for accession, the first stage involves preparations both at the country and Secretariat levels. It requires the country to establish structures for managing the peer review process at national level. The structures include the designation of a Focal Point and the establishment of a National Governing Council (NGC) composed of all key stakeholders including government, civil society, and the private sector. The country is then required to undertake a comprehensive national selfassessment involving all key stakeholders and grassroots constituencies. The findings of the assessment have to be validated nationally and a Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR) is submitted to the APR Panel. 8. The country undergoing review is required to use the CSAR findings to prepare a draft National Programme of Action (NPoA) aimed at addressing identified shortcomings. The NPoA is then submitted to the APR Panel as an integral part of the CSAR. The primary purpose of the NPoA is to guide and mobilise the country’s efforts in implementing the necessary changes to improve its state of governance and socio-economic development.2 2 The NPoA is, thus, the country’s key input to the peer review process. It serves to present and clarify national priorities; activities to prepare for, and participate in the APRM; and, the nature of the national consultations. The NPoA also indicates the programme implementation responsibilities of the various stakeholders - Government, civil society organisations, private sector, the judiciary, political parties, national assemblies, the media, women, youth, people with disabilities, trades unions, religious bodies, professional bodies, corporate entities and organisations (private, public and informal), academia, and research institutions. 23