African Solutions

This report, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), examines the concept and application of "best practices" within the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). It analyzes 12 Country Review Reports (CRRs) to identify indigenous governance solutions and argues that a lack of conceptual clarity regarding what constitutes a "best practice" hinders the APRM's ability to facilitate peer learning and sustainable reform across the continent.

• The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a voluntary process where member states undergo national reviews to identify governance weaknesses and develop strategies to ensure policies conform to agreed values and standards. A primary objective is to promote peer learning by "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 the sharing of experiences and reinforcement of successful and best practices".
• The report identifies a significant lack of conceptual clarity within core APRM documentation regarding "best practices." The authors note that while the term appears frequently, the documents "do not state categorically what the concept means, or explain how best practices are to be systematically identified, integrated into the APRM programmes (particularly the CSARs and NPoAs), or disseminated, shared and adopted in participating countries."
• Analysis of 12 published Country Review Reports (CRRs) revealed 146 best and good practices across four thematic areas. The highest number of identified practices were in democracy and political governance (50), followed by economic governance and management (35), socio-economic development (35), and corporate governance (26).
• The report argues that best practices are essential for creating "peer pressure" through incentives rather than sanctions. Because APRM results are "entirely non-binding and advisory," best practices serve as non-threatening templates for reform and provide evidence of "African solutions to African problems," reducing the reliance on imported models or external aid conditionalities.
• The authors categorize the identified best practices in democracy and political governance into three types: those that genuinely improve governance, those that simply conform to agreed codes, and those that serve as "bragging pieces."
• Regarding socio-economic development, the report finds that many identified practices are insufficient; of 35 identified, only nine were considered "full, legitimate best practices," while the rest were viewed as "partial", "possible", or "potential".

APA

Petlane, T., & Gruzd, S. (2011). African Solutions. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aprm_african_solutions_intro_chapter_nov_2011.pdf

Chicago

Petlane, Tšoeu, and Steven Gruzd. African Solutions. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2011. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aprm_african_solutions_intro_chapter_nov_2011.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Petlane |first1=Tšoeu |last2=Gruzd |first2=Steven |title=African Solutions |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aprm_african_solutions_intro_chapter_nov_2011.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{petlane2011african, author = {Petlane, Tšoeu and Gruzd, Steven}, title = {{African Solutions}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/aprm_african_solutions_intro_chapter_nov_2011.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }