From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, hailed the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), saying that the mechanism is impacting on the African continent.
Speaking during the 30th Summit of the Forum of Heads of State and Government of member States of the APRM, Buhari who was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the mechanism seeks to attain the pan African vision of a prosperous, peaceful and integrated Africa that is respected globally
for its good governance.
“It has therefore, been providing a platform for AU member states that have acceded to the protocol to share information, knowledge and experience as they review each other’s performance within the framework established by the forum.
“As a self-monitoring mechanism in all aspect of governance, the initiative places the people at the centre of the development discourse for the benefit of Africans in line with AU Agenda 2063. The establishment of
the mechanism has led to healthy competition in development efforts,
as well as providing a mechanism to identify deficiencies and
capacity-building needs among member states, as it promotes best practices for a sustainable
development and political stability,” Buhari said.
Buhari further said it was worthy of note that the APRM process in its
participatory model, engages stakeholders to facilitate exchange
of information and national dialogue on good governance and socio-
economic development programmes.
“This enables for increased
transparency in decision-making process and building trust in pursuit of the national development goals. In preparation of our peer review
process, we have ensured that the review structures are put in place and
made up of National Focal Points, National Governing Council, APRM
National Secretariat, Technical Research Institutes and other Technical Review Team.
“In line with the AU – APRM Review guideline and Road Map,
commendable achievements have been attained on COVID-19,” Buhari also said.
Buhari further told the forum that a national structure was duly established for Nigeria’a second review under his leadership for effective implementation of APRM.
The structures, according to Buhari, were the establishment of a National Focal Point of APRM, charged with the responsibility of ensuring the successful domestication and implementation of APRM in Nigeria.
The President, amongst others, said a 15-member National Governing Council (NGC) presently constituted, made up of broad-based representatives of Nigerians from both the public and private sectors.