The President of Liberia, H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, is the new Chairperson of the African Peer Review Forum (APR Forum). H.E. Sirleaf was appointed at the 19th Summit of the Committee of Heads of State and Government participating in the APRM, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 26 May 2013. She takes over from H.E Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and former Chairperson of the APR Forum.

H.E. Sirleaf served as Minister of Finance in Liberia from 1979 to1980. She also held senior positions in various multi-national financial institutions. In 2005, she made history in becoming the first elected female Head of State in Africa after winning Liberia’s presidential elections. She was re-elected in 2011.

H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her role in non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s right to full participation in peace-building. The APR Forum is a Committee of Participating Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the African Union that have voluntarily acceded to the APRM. The Forum is the highest decision-making authority of the Mechanism.

The 19th Summit of the APR Forum appointed the new leadership of the APR Panel.

Barrister Akere Muna (L) and Prof. Amos Sawyer (R)Barrister Akere Tabeng Muna from Cameroon is the new Chairperson of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons (APR Panel). Barrister Muna succeeds Professor Amos Sawyer, who had been serving as Chairperson of the APR Panel since January 2012.

Ambassador Fatuma Nyirakobwa Ndangiza from Rwanda is the new Vice-Chairperson of the Panel.

Barrister Akere Tabeng Muna was appointed to the APR Panel of Eminent Persons at the 12th Summit of the APR Forum in Addis Ababa in January 2010. He is the founder and former President of Transparency International – Cameroon. He is also Vice-Chair of the Transparency International Board. Barrister Muna is a lawyer by training and President of the Pan-African Lawyers Union (PALU). He is the former President of the Cameroon Bar Association.

In 2008, Barrister Muna was elected President of the First Permanent General Assembly of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) of the African Union. He is also a member of the Governing Council of the African Governance Institute and the Sanctions Commissioner of the African Development Bank Group.

Ambassador Fatuma Ndangiza Nyirakombwa was appointed to the APR Panel of Eminent Persons at the 16th Summit of the APR Forum. She is currently the Deputy CEO of the Rwanda Governance Board, whose mission is to promote good governance and decentralization in Rwanda. Prior to her assumption of these positions she served as Rwandan Ambassador to Tanzania and was also accredited to Malawi, Zambia, Seychelles and Madagascar.

In this capacity, she oversaw regional integration matters concerning the East Africa Community and COMESA. Ambassador Ndangiza was the Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission in Rwanda from 2002 to 2009.
The APR Panel of Eminent Persons exercises oversight of the APRM process to ensure the independence, professionalism and credibility of the process. It also oversees the selection of the APR Mission Teams and appoints them to conduct country reviews.

The 19th Summit of the APR Forum announced Côte D’Ivoire’s expression of interest to accede to the Mechanism. The Memorandum of Understanding on the accession of Côte d’Ivoire will be signed at the next Summit of the Forum.

“The APRM Secretariat congratulates the new leadership of the Mechanism on their appointment. The APRM is hosting a series of events in the continent in commemoration of its 10th Anniversary, which coincides with the OAU/AU 50th Anniversary.

An initiative of the African Union, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was established in March 2003 by the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). It is an instrument for self-monitoring of performance in governance among member states. Currently, the APRM has thirty-three (33) Member States that have voluntarily acceded to the Mechanism. Seventeen (17) have completed their self-assessment exercise and they have been peer-reviewed by the Forum of Heads of State and Government.

Press Release:
H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Appointed Chairperson of the African