Aide-memoire expert group meeting: study on the impact of the African Peer Review Mechanism on governance in participating countries

Abstract

The African Peer Review Mechanism is a self-monitoring mechanism aimed at fostering the adoption of policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated regional economic integration through the exchange of experiences and reinforcement of best practices. The study will contain an examination of the relevance of the Mechanism for Africa’s socioeconomic transformation; an assessment of the preliminary impact of the Mechanism on the governance and socioeconomic development of the 17 peer-reviewed countries; and an assessment of the socioeconomic contexts that impinge on the implementation of the codes and standards set by the Mechanism and that have an impact on its effectiveness. The main goal of the study is to stimulate a careful, comprehensive and analytical rethink of the Mechanism’s processes and guidelines that may require further development and streamlining in order to address more effectively some of the key structural and institutional impediments to the democratization process and socioeconomic transformation of the African countries.