Assessing the Implications of the APRM’s Expanded Mandate

This research paper assesses the implications of the African Peer Review Mechanism's (APRM) Expanded Mandate, a series of decisions taken between 2016 and 2019 to revitalise the agency. While the expansion has renewed momentum and increased membership, the author argues that the APRM must now consolidate these gains to avoid distracting from its core mission of comprehensive country reviews.

• The APRM's Expanded Mandate, established through AU Assembly decisions between 2016 and 2019, was a response to waning political interest and institutional deficiencies. It introduced six priority areas: revisiting the APRM philosophy, revising review methodology, ensuring principle compliance, mobilising resources, integrating the APRM into the AU system, and monitoring the AU's Agenda 2063 and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The Expanded Mandate has successfully increased the APRM's reach and membership. By April 2021, 41 out of 55 AU member states had adopted the mechanism, up from 33 in December 2015. New members joining since 2017 include Namibia, The Gambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Innovative 'targeted reviews' have allowed countries to participate by scrutinising specific sectors rather than undergoing full reviews. Examples include Djibouti (decentralisation), Namibia (youth unemployment), Senegal (mineral resources), and Sierra Leone (health governance and COVID-19 response).
• The APRM has diversified its functions to include acting as an early warning tool for conflict prevention, producing biennial Africa Governance Reports (AGRs), and supporting member states regarding international credit rating agencies, including the launch of the first African Sovereign Credit Ratings Review Report in October 2020.
• There is a significant risk that the Expanded Mandate may undermine the APRM's core purpose. The author warns that National Governance Reports could become 'weak substitutes' for the more rigorous Country Review Reports, potentially allowing countries to circumvent full assessments.
• National Programmes of Action (NPoAs) remain a 'weak link' in the APRM process due to difficulties in implementation, including issues with budgeting, performance monitoring, and alignment with national planning systems. The APRM Continental Secretariat has admitted to lacking the capacity to independently assess NPoAs against peer review recommendations.
• The APRM faces a critical sustainability challenge due to an imminent leadership transition, as the tenure of CEO Prof. Eddy Maloka is set to end in 2022. The author emphasizes the need for institutional processes to manage this transition and avoid further incremental expansion of the mandate.

APA

SEMELA, K. (2021). Assessing the Implications of the APRM’s Expanded Mandate. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Occasional-Paper-328-semela.pdf

Chicago

SEMELA, KGOTHATSO. Assessing the Implications of the APRM’s Expanded Mandate. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2021. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Occasional-Paper-328-semela.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=SEMELA |first1=KGOTHATSO |title=Assessing the Implications of the APRM’s Expanded Mandate |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=July 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Occasional-Paper-328-semela.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{semela2021assessing, author = {SEMELA, KGOTHATSO}, title = {{Assessing the Implications of the APRM’s Expanded Mandate}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Occasional-Paper-328-semela.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }