The African Peer Review Mechanism

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), an innovative governance assessment tool launched in 2002 under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad). It details the APRM's five-stage review process, its continental and national institutional structures, and the practical challenges faced by 'pioneer' countries in implementing these rigorous, participatory assessments.

• The APRM is an unprecedented governance experiment that assesses state activity across four thematic areas: democracy and political governance, economic governance and management, corporate governance, and socio-economic development.
• The APRM process consists of five distinct stages: preparation and self-assessment, the Country Review Mission, preparation of the final country assessment, peer review by heads of state, and presentation to the public and African institutions.
• The mechanism is designed to be highly participatory, requiring the involvement of civil society at three levels: the National Governing Council (NGC), the Panel of Eminent Persons, and the Country Review Teams.
• Experience from pioneer countries reveals that the APRM process is significantly more time-consuming than initially estimated; while authorities imagined reviews would take six to nine months, countries like Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, and South Africa took between 33 and 39 months from signing the MOU to the final report presentation.
• The APRM is voluntary and its results are non-binding and advisory, meaning the effectiveness of the process depends heavily on the political will and commitment of the participating country.
• The self-assessment process is rigorous and demanding, guided by an 88-page questionnaire containing 25 objectives, 58 questions, and 183 indicators.

APA

Herbert, R., & Gruzd, S. (2008). The African Peer Review Mechanism. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/aprm_pioneers_part1_20090219.pdf

Chicago

Herbert, Ross, and Steven Gruzd. The African Peer Review Mechanism. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2008. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/aprm_pioneers_part1_20090219.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Herbert |first1=Ross |last2=Gruzd |first2=Steven |title=The African Peer Review Mechanism |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=February 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/aprm_pioneers_part1_20090219.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{herbert2008african, author = {Herbert, Ross and Gruzd, Steven}, title = {{The African Peer Review Mechanism}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/aprm_pioneers_part1_20090219.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }