Pan-Africanism, the African Peer Review Mechanism and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance: What Does the Future Hold?

This research paper by Khabele Matlosa examines the evolution of democratic governance in Africa, focusing on the relationship between the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG). It analyzes the transition from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to the African Union (AU), the challenges of implementing governance reviews and National Programmes of Action (NPoAs), and proposes strategic imperatives to enhance synergy between the AU's governance and peace architectures.

• Between the 1960s and the late 1980s, African states generally did not prioritize democracy, often viewing multi-party systems as divisive to nation-building. This era was characterized by authoritarian governance, including military, one-party, and dynastic regimes, with approximately 90 military coups occurring across the continent between the 1960s and 2012.
• The transition from the OAU to the AU marked a shift from a doctrine of non-interference to one of 'non-indifference,' where sovereignty is viewed as responsibility. This shift is evidenced by the 2000 Lomé Declaration, which condemned unconstitutional changes of government, including military coups and mercenary interventions.
• The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), established in 2003, is a voluntary self-assessment tool. However, its implementation has been slow; by 2014, only 34 of the 54 AU member states had acceded to the mechanism, and only 17 had completed their reviews.
• Implementation of National Programmes of Action (NPoAs) resulting from APRM reviews is hindered by a lack of domestic funding. Many governments rely on external donors rather than allocating resources within national budgets, which threatens national ownership of the initiatives.
• The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), which came into force in February 2012, is a legally binding treaty. Unlike the voluntary APRM, ACDEG provides a legal basis for sanctions against member states that undergo unconstitutional changes of government.
• A contemporary threat to democratic governance in Africa is the 'third-term agenda,' where incumbents manipulate constitutions to extend their tenure beyond mandated limits. ACDEG specifically defines the amendment of constitutions to infringe on democratic change as an unconstitutional change of government.
• The APRM and ACDEG are mutually reinforcing: the APRM uses ACDEG as a standard for its reviews, and ACDEG Article 36 encourages the implementation of the APRM. The author argues that the success of both depends on a balance between state and non-state actors to prevent 'state capture.'
• The author proposes five strategic imperatives for the future: universal accession to the APRM, universal ratification of ACDEG, balanced engagement of civil society, stronger synergies between the African Governance Architecture (AGA) and the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), and the mobilization of domestic resources for NPoAs.

APA

Matlosa, K. (2014). Pan-Africanism, the African Peer Review Mechanism and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance: What Does the Future Hold? South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Occasional-Paper-190.pdf

Chicago

Matlosa, Khabele. Pan-Africanism, the African Peer Review Mechanism and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance: What Does the Future Hold? South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Occasional-Paper-190.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Matlosa |first1=Khabele |title=Pan-Africanism, the African Peer Review Mechanism and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance: What Does the Future Hold? |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Occasional-Paper-190.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{matlosa2014panafricanism, author = {Matlosa, Khabele}, title = {{Pan-Africanism, the African Peer Review Mechanism and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance: What Does the Future Hold?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Occasional-Paper-190.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }