Accra, Ghana – 9 May 2018 – Prof Ibrahim Gambari, Deputy Chairperson of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons and Lead Panelist for Ghana paid a courtesy visit to His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana on Wednesday, 9th May, 2018, to discuss how to rekindle the APRM process after many years of inactivity in the pio-neering country.

Prof Gambari was accompanied by Dr Rachel Mukamunana, Head of Country Review Coordination at APRM, and Miss Dahlia N’goulakia, Personal Assistant to the APRM CEO, Prof Eddy Maloka.

In the discussion, Prof Gambari commended President Akufo-Addo transformative leadership and the prominence given to good governance by his administration in achieving the socioeconomic transformation of Ghana. Prof Gambari recalled how Ghana was a trailblazer and a shining example in the APRM process, being among the first group of African countries to sign the APRM Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 9 March 2003 and the first country to complete the review process and peer review in 2006. He deplored however the fact that APRM had stalled.

Prof Gambari mentioned three points that needed government attention and action, namely i) institutionalizing the APRM through legal backing; ii) reconstituting the APRM National Governing Council and iii) allocating necessary resources to enable the NGC to do the work in particular preparing the long overdue second review.

In welcoming the APRM delegation, President Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated his commit-ment to the APRM and the ongoing AU reforms, which have repositioned the APRM as the AU instrument for monitoring UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the AU Agenda 2063 and tasked his team to ensure that the APRM is quickly revitalized in Gha-na. The President also accepted the request to be the champion of the APRM in the cur-rent efforts of universal continental accession.

Present at the meeting were Reverend Prof. Emmanuel Asante, Acting Chairperson of NGC Ghana, Mr Kofi Marrah, Acting CEO of Ghana National Secretariat, senior staff in the Presidency, and senior officers in the Ministry of Foreign affairs and Regional inte-gration.

Before meeting the President of the Republic, Prof Ibrahim Gambari and his team were received by Honorable Mohammad Habibu Tijani, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs with whom they exchanged views on the revitalization of the APRM in Ghana.