The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the Pan-African initiative created to promote good governance and socio-economic development through the adoption of policies, standards and good practices that lead to political stability, economic growth and sustainable development, currently has thirty-five (35) members. The Forum of Heads of State and Government, the supreme body of the APRM, has already considered review reports of seventeen (17) countries. In the course of the year 2016, four (4) countries hosted APRM review missions, thus bringing to five (5) the number of country review reports to be considered by the APR Forum in January 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Djibouti Review Report prepared in 2015 is among the five (5) outstanding reports on the Forum’s agenda for January 2017 in Addis Ababa.

It was in this context that an APRM delegation visited Djibouti from 10 to 12 January 2017 to meet with the National Authorities of Djibouti, beginning with His Excellency Ismaël Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti, as part of the preparations for the country’s participation in the APRM Forum Meeting scheduled for January 2017 in Addis Ababa.

The APRM Delegation was led by Professor Eddy Maloka, Chief Executive Officer of the APRM Secretariat. He was accompanied by Mr. Jean-Yves Adou, Head of the Knowledge Management, Monitoring & Evaluation and Review Process Support Division at the APRM Secretariat.

The APRM Delegation also met with the President of the National Assembly, Honourable Mohamed Ali Houmed, and the Prime Minister, H.E. Abdoulkader Mohamed Kamil. After those meetings, the APRM Delegation led by Professor Eddy Maloka had working sessions with the APRM Focal Point, H.E. Mahamoud Ali Yousouf, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Deputy Minister to the Minister of the Interior in charge of Decentralization, H.E. Hamadou Mohamed Aramis, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Justice and Prison Affairs, in charge of Human Rights, the National APRM National Commission chaired by Mr. Abdi Elmi Achkir, and the Chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, Mr. Saleban Omar.

These meetings with the Djibouti Authorities enabled the Chief Executive Officer of the APRM Secretariat, Professor Eddy Maloka, to appreciate Djibouti’s commitment to implement the recommendations of the APRM after the consideration of the country review report by the Heads of State participating in the APRM. He noted with satisfaction the steps taken by Djibouti towards the implementation of its National Programme of Action prior to the consideration of its review report by the APR Forum, particularly, the creation of the new Ministry Decentralization and the One-Stop Shop to improve the business climate, both of which were established subsequent to the recommendations of the APRM review mission to Djibouti in 2015.

The latest APRM mission to Djibouti was climaxed by the APRM Delegation’s courtesy call on His Excellency Ismaël Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti.

At the end of the mission, Professor Eddy Maloka, the Chief Executive Officer of the APRM Secretariat, gave a press briefing during which he thanked H.E. Ismael Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti, for his commitment to support the APRM revitalization process together with his Peers. He also thanked the Government and People of Djibouti for the warm welcome reserved for the APRM Delegation.