Zanzibar, Tanzania, 3–4 June 2019 – “The one outstanding issue in the continent is to be robust and frank when dealing with governance matters”, said APRM CEO Prof. Eddy Maloka while reflecting on the governance crises and protests taking place in some countries in Africa.

“We are concerned about the deteriorating trend in governance in Africa and the APRM and the AGA Platform must find ways of addressing that’, said Prof. Maloka.

The APRM CEO and Chairperson of the AGA Platform was addressing the meeting on the AGA Reflection on the Africa Governance Report which took place in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

The purpose of the meeting was to deliberate on the implementing the AU Assembly’s decisions and contribute to the enhancement and refinement of the content and processes of developing the Africa Governance Report.

Welcoming the delegates, the African Governance Architecture CEO, Amb. Salah Hammad expressed his appreciation to the delegates who took time to attend the meeting during the period of Ramadan. He said this demonstrates unwavering commitment to good governance efforts.

“The Africa Governance Report belongs to African. AGA Platform Members should therefore take responsibility for the implementation of its recommendations,” said Amb. Salah.

At the meeting AU Director of Political Affairs, Dr. Khabele Matlosa mentioned his concerns about the crisis in Sudan and said this poses a challenge for the APRM, on how it can assist in the crises such as the one in Sudan.

“What can the APRM do in resolving the crises in Sudan and Benin, what is the value proposition of the APRM during these challenging times?”, he quipped.

The AU Director of Political Affairs further referred to Algeria which has a situation that is quickly degenerating into a conflict and urged the participants attending the meeting to examine strategies on how the Africa Governance Report could assist in resolving these emanating crises in the Continent?

The meeting also reflected on the role of the National Governing Councils (NGCs) in the national governance assessment and reporting process? What institutions are available for national governance reporting in countries where the NGCs are absent or not operational and alternative governance authorities that could be used for national governance assessment and reporting?

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Members of the AGA Platform and representatives of the private sector.

The African Governance Report (AGR) is meant to contribute to AU efforts to encourage Member States to enhance the performance of governance. The AGR objective is to contribute to the expected results through the identification of governance trends, whose analysis could lead to realistic recommendations for the enhancement and/or improvement of governance. The AGR is premised on the need to measure progress in African governance, which requires tracking and analysing changes and providing recommendations for further development.

The Report prioritizes five (5) thematic governance assessment areas for the baseline Africa Governance Report (AGR). These are Transformative Leadership; Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law; Peace, Security and Governance; the Nexus of Development and Governance; and the Role of the RECs in governance.