Growth and capacity development need good governance. Good governance ensures the most efficient utilization of scarce resources, enhances responsibility and accountability, and has the potential to alleviate poverty while strengthening the legitimacy of reform minded states. On the forefront of emerging governance modalities is the extended peer review mechanism which allows for proposed policies and state actions to be evaluated, justified, strengthened by a review process, and the intended outcomes monitored against verifiable benchmarks. A participatory review by selected local, national, regional, and international “peers” enables an objective analysis of a country’s goals and strategies and is thus designed to limit the promotion of vested and entrenched interests. One of the most important initiatives till date has been the establishment of the peer review mechanism in Africa. To accomplish the objectives and goals of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), African leaders have agreed to subject their countries to peer review through the use of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). The APRM, approved by the African Union (AU) Summit in July 2002, represents a bold new approach to reform for capacity development and good governance in Africa. Suggested reading:
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