Should All Africas States Join the APRM?

The document examines the African Peer Review Mechanism's (APRM) drive for universal membership, arguing that while a worthy goal, the organization must first address its backlog of 'slow states' and improve the implementation of National Programmes of Action (NPoAs). It highlights that 40 of 55 African states have joined, but many have failed to undergo first reviews or progress to second reviews. The authors warn that 'targeted reviews' may allow governments to avoid sensitive issues and suggest that the APRM adopt stricter measures, similar to the OGP or EITI, to handle inactive members.

• The APRM aims for universal accession by 2023, though it remains a voluntary process where membership is intended as a "deliberate demonstration of the particular country’s commitment to open government, transparency, good governance, accountability and policy reform". As of March 1, 2020, 40 of the 55 African states are members.
• There is a significant issue with 'slow states'—members who joined over 10 years ago but have made little effort to start the review process. The most notable examples include Cameroon, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo, all of which joined at the mechanism's launch in 2003 but had not been reviewed by March 2020.
• The APRM has struggled with the cycle of continuous improvement; while intended to repeat every three to five years, only Kenya, Uganda, and Mozambique have undergone second reviews in the 17 years since the mechanism's inception.
• The introduction of 'targeted reviews' focusing on specific areas of interest is viewed as a potential risk, as these shorter reports "could give governments an opportunity to sideline sensitive issues" and should not replace comprehensive full reviews.
• The document notes a lack of transparency and timeliness in releasing Country Review Reports (CRRs), with some reports delayed for years due to political sensitivity, particularly during election periods, to avoid providing "the opposition extra ammunition".
• The authors recommend that the APRM implement a sanctions mechanism for countries that fail to progress in reviews or implement their National Programmes of Action (NPoAs), citing the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) as models for suspending or delisting inactive members.

APA

GRUZD, S., & TURIANSKYI, Y. (2020). Should All Africas States Join the APRM? South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Policy-Insights-86-gruzd-turianskyi.pdf

Chicago

GRUZD, STEVEN, and YARIK TURIANSKYI. Should All Africas States Join the APRM? South African Institute of International Affairs, 2020. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Policy-Insights-86-gruzd-turianskyi.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=GRUZD |first1=STEVEN |last2=TURIANSKYI |first2=YARIK |title=Should All Africas States Join the APRM? |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Policy-Insights-86-gruzd-turianskyi.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gruzd2020should, author = {GRUZD, STEVEN and TURIANSKYI, YARIK}, title = {{Should All Africas States Join the APRM?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Policy-Insights-86-gruzd-turianskyi.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }