A four (4) – member APRM Delegation visited Abidjan from 12 to 17 January 2016 at the invitation of the National Governance Commission (NGC) of Côte d’Ivoire, as part of the APRM Launch Seminar in Côte d’Ivoire that was organized from 14 to 16 January 2016. The Delegation comprised the Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO a.i.) of the APRM Secretariat, Dr. Ibrahim Assane MAYAKI, the Lead Member of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons in charge of Côte d’Ivoire, Professor Mahamoud Youssouf KHAYAL, and two Senior Staff from the APRM Secretariat – Dr. Koffi ADORGLOH, Coordinator in charge of Côte d’Ivoire, and Mr. Jean-Yves ADOU, Head of the Knowledge Management, Monitoring and Evaluation and Review Process Support Division.

In addition to its active participation in the Seminar, which had a record attendance, the APRM Delegation made the APRM better known through two highly appreciated presentations on the Continental Mechanism and its Review Questionnaire. Representatives of three National Governance Commissions (NGC) from Senegal, Benin and Burkina Faso were among the distinguished guests.

On 15 January 2015, the Continental APRM Delegation paid, on the sidelines of the Seminar, a courtesy call on the Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, His Excellency Daniel Kablan DUNCAN, during which Dr. Ibrahim Assane MAYAKI, the Interim Chief Executive Officer of the APRM Secretariat, formally introduced to the Authorities of Côte d’Ivoire, Professor Mahamoud Youssouf KHAYAL, the Lead Member of the APRM Panel of Eminent Persons in charge of Côte d’Ivoire. The Continental APRM Delegation also met with State institutions, organizations representing the civil society and Côte d’Ivoire’s private sector as part of the Advance Mission.

The climax of the Continental APRM Delegation’s mission to Côte d’Ivoire was undoubtedly the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Country Review-related Technical Assessments and Visits during a grand ceremony on 15 January 2016 in Abidjan between Professor Mahamoud Youssouf KHAYAL, Lead Member of the African Peer Review Panel of Eminent Persons in charge of Côte d’Ivoire, and His Excellency Ally COULIBALY, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of African Integration and Ivorians Abroad and APRM Focal Point for Côte d’Ivoire. The Memorandum of Understanding, which seals a strong and fruitful cooperation between the APR Panel Côte d’Ivoire, should pave the way for the rapid review of the country.

The next stages agreed between the APR Panel and APRM-Côte d’Ivoire for the continuation of the process are:

A 3-day training workshop on the Revised Questionnaire, scheduled for February or March 2016;
The Support Mission to APRM-Côte d’Ivoire in April or May 2016; and
The Self-assessment of Governance as from May 2016.

The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire acceded to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in January 2015 in Addis Ababa. It is the 35th member country of the African Union to accede voluntarily to the Mechanism.