The African Peer Review Mechanism: Assessing Origins, Institutional Relations and Achievements

The document examines the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) as a voluntary self-monitoring tool for promoting good governance in Africa. It traces the APRM's genealogy from the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) and the African Union (AU), analyzing the institutional tensions and evolving coordination between these bodies. The author highlights the APRM's success in widening political space and identifying governance gaps in member states, while noting limitations in its ability to enforce solutions or ensure peer learning. The paper concludes that the mechanism's future depends on the commitment of African leadership and its ability to demonstrate incremental progress to maintain international support.

• The APRM is a voluntary mechanism that has gained significant continental traction, with more than half of African states acceding, representing three-quarters of the continent's population.
• The APRM evolved from a lineage of governance initiatives: the African Union (AU) as the 'grandfather', the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) as the 'father', and the APRM as the 'child'.
• Institutional relations between the AU, Nepad, and the APRM have been characterized by rivalry, overlapping mandates, and 'turf wars', though a 2008 host agreement between the South African government and the AU aimed to formalize the APRM's status as part of AU structures.
• The APRM has demonstrated strong diagnostic potential by identifying conditions that preceded the 2007 election-related ethnic violence in Kenya and the May 2008 xenophobic attacks in South Africa, although it cannot enforce the solutions it recommends.
• The mechanism has contributed to democracy by widening political space and increasing the involvement of citizens in assessing governance, which has sensitized leaders to the need for greater accountability.
• Concrete governance gains attributed to APRM Programmes of Action (POAs) include the passing of the Whistleblower Act and Disability Act in Ghana, and the creation of a draft national land policy in Kenya.
• The APRM faces significant operational challenges, including a lack of consistent attendance by heads of state at Forum meetings, a vacant executive director post as of July 2008, and a slow review pace that risks losing public interest.

APA

Gruzd, S. (2009). The African Peer Review Mechanism: Assessing Origins, Institutional Relations and Achievements. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Occasional-Paper-29.pdf

Chicago

Gruzd, Steven. The African Peer Review Mechanism: Assessing Origins, Institutional Relations and Achievements. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2009. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Occasional-Paper-29.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gruzd |first1=Steven |title=The African Peer Review Mechanism: Assessing Origins, Institutional Relations and Achievements |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=April 2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Occasional-Paper-29.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gruzd2009african, author = {Gruzd, Steven}, title = {{The African Peer Review Mechanism: Assessing Origins, Institutional Relations and Achievements}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Occasional-Paper-29.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }