The African Peer Review Mechanism: Development Lessons from Africa’s Remarkable Governance Assessment System

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), established in 2003 under NEPAD, is a voluntary governance assessment system where African states evaluate their own political, economic, and corporate governance. By 2013, 33 states had acceded, with 17 completing their first review. The mechanism utilizes a process of self-assessment, expert missions, and high-level peer review to identify deficiencies and implement National Programmes of Action (NPoAs). While the APRM has successfully expanded democratic space and fostered a common governance vocabulary, it faces challenges in integrating NPoAs into national budgets and ensuring consistent high-level oversight of implementation.

• The APRM is a unique global instrument because it is an "African-developed, African-owned and African-driven system" where national leaders meet as equals to hold one another mutually accountable for governance.
• The mechanism has driven tangible governance reforms, such as Ghana's establishment of a ministry of chieftaincy and cultural affairs and laws on human trafficking, and Kenya's creation of 148 peace committees and a new constitution informed by APRM recommendations.
• The APRM has expanded democratic space by providing a platform for non-state actors, including civil society organisations (CSOs), to engage in policy dialogue on issues like poverty, human rights, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
• Funding for the continental process is primarily African-led; by 2011, over 60% of the $41.6 million raised came from African governments, with significant 'special contributions' from Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa.
• Integration of the APRM into national planning is inconsistent; studies of Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, and Benin showed that NPoAs often underestimated costs, double-counted existing programmes, and ran in parallel with national development plans without sufficient harmonisation.
• International oversight of NPoA implementation is weak, as the APR Forum often prioritises new reviews over implementation reports and there is a lack of independent capacity to verify country claims.
• The APRM serves as a diagnostic tool for development effectiveness, revealing high aid dependency in countries like Benin (over 60%) and Burkina Faso (70%), while highlighting Kenya's success in reducing reliance on foreign aid.
• Capacity development has occurred across multiple levels, including the creation of a pool of African governance experts and the empowerment of CSOs to monitor government progress.
• Peer learning remains largely ad hoc and unsystematic, often driven by CSOs and think tanks rather than the continental Secretariat, with a notable lack of systematic sharing in francophone Africa compared to anglophone Africa.

APA

Gruzd, S. (2014). The African Peer Review Mechanism: Development Lessons from Africa’s Remarkable Governance Assessment System. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Research-Report-15.pdf

Chicago

Gruzd, Steven. The African Peer Review Mechanism: Development Lessons from Africa’s Remarkable Governance Assessment System. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Research-Report-15.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gruzd |first1=Steven |title=The African Peer Review Mechanism: Development Lessons from Africa’s Remarkable Governance Assessment System |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=January 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Research-Report-15.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gruzd2014african, author = {Gruzd, Steven}, title = {{The African Peer Review Mechanism: Development Lessons from Africa’s Remarkable Governance Assessment System}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Research-Report-15.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }