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An Assessment Of The Contributions Of Nepad To African Development And Good Governance
[A CASE STUDY OF THE AFRICAN PEER REVIEW MECHANISM (APRM)]
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NEPAD features sector specific programmes such as the
Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Plan (CAADP), Programme for
Infrastructural Development in Africa (PIDA), and the African Peer
Review Mechanism (APRM) (Vickers, 2017). Among the sector specific
programmes incorporated in NEPAD, arguably, the APRM is the most touted
policy adopted by Africa’s Heads of States. As rightly put by Herbert
and Gruzd (2008), the APRM is arguably the most forward-looking and
audacious element in the NEPAD. Accordingly, APRM is a distinctive,
mutually accepted tool directed at promoting the implementation of
measures, norms and procedures leading to political stability, strong
economic growth, sustainable development and enhanced sub-regional and
fiscal consolidation through the exchange of knowledge and strengthening
of effective and good practices, including identifying deficiencies and
assessing of requirements for capacity building (NEPAD, 2015). Thus, to
achieve the objectives and outcomes of NEPAD, among other reasons,
Africa’s member states have decided to subject their nations to peer
review, using a distinctive and creative APRM initiative (hope, 2005).
The APRM was intended to show, on a country-by-country basis, the public
structures, legislation and capabilities that need to be altered,
reformed and developed.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The APRM, a
ground-breaking program of NEPAD, has been recognised by the Global
North and many in Africa as a remedy for the woes facing the continent.
As at 2014, 34 countries had signed the APRM MOU, thereby acceding to be
reviewed by their colleagues (NEPAD, 2015). These countries included:
Ghana; Algeria; Angola; Benin; Burkina Faso; South Africa; Cameroon;
Chad; Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Egypt; Ethiopia; Equatorial Guinea;
Sierra Leone; Gabon; Gambia; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mauritania;
Mauritius; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Lesotho; Nigeria; Rwanda; Sao
Tome and Principe; Senegal; Sudan; Tanzania; Togo; Tunisia; Uganda; and
Zambia. Herbert (2004) postulates that none of NEPAD’s concepts, ranging
from gigantic infrastructure initiatives to healthcare reforms or
stronger trade deals, has as much capacity as the APRM to bring about
the positive change Africa has longed for. The peer review method was
structured to monitor all phases of government, legislature, the
judicial system, as well as the private sector.
Historically, African
states had regarded each other’s sovereignty as sacrosanct as enshrined
in the charter of the Organization of African Union (OAU), now the
African Union (AU), a stance that permitted oppressive governments to
thrive at the cost of the well-being of their people (Appiah, 2015). The
OAU’s solemn concern at birth in 1963 was to free Africa from the
bondage of colonialism. Although its goals included promoting global
collaboration, having due regard to the United Nations (UN) Charter and
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR its main goals were the
rapid decolonization of Africa, uniting Africa and protecting the
territorial boundaries of African states (Akokpari, 2004). Therefore,
the OAU was not mainly an organization of good governance. The OAU could
not intervene or meddle in the affairs of member states due to its
charter provisions. However, the adoption of the AU’s Constitutive Act
presented an invigorating point for the continent, as the Act’s Article
30 gives the AU the legitimate right to debar unconstitutional regimes
from democracy and good governance (AU, 2000). Hence, the Constitutive
Act entreat African countries to pursue good governance principles.
The
ushering in of the APRM, notwithstanding some constraints, presented a
bracing counterpoint to the ideals of the Constitutive Act. Again, just
like any other policy adopted by the OAU/AU, NEPAD and its APRM were met
with some level of skepticism as to whether the APRM and NEPAD would
bring about some changes due to the fact that the very rulers who
independently and on the whole, are accountable for wrecking their
nations’ economy as well as promoting corruption, are the same
individuals who are supposed to willingly avail their governance
structures to be peer reviewed. Nonetheless, 18 years have elapsed since
the APRM was instituted.
What this research seeks to do is, to
assess the contribution of NEPAD to African development good governance
and development with much emphasis on the APRM.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]Over the years, the concept of good governance, which guided the study has become the concern for donor partners, the Global West and some NGOs, as an ideal way of addressing the problems facing developing countries. Good governance eventually became a precondition for aid in Africa in an attempt to propel African leaders to respect human rights, implement economic reforms, ensure alternation of power in a free and fair election, among others. Among other things, African leaders adopted the AU a ... Continue reading---
