Kampala, 16 June 2017- The Government of Uganda successfully launched the second-round Country Review Process within the framework of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), only the second country to do so after Kenya.

At a ceremony hosted by H. E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, at State House on 15 June 2017, Honourable Brigitte Sylvia Mabandla, lead member of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons and Head of the APRM continental delegation, signed the APRM Memorandum of Understanding on Technical Assessment and Review Mission with H. E. David Bahati, Minister and APRM Focal Point for Uganda.

The signing ceremony was preceded by a meeting with H. E. President Museveni, where Hon. Mabandla expressed her gratitude to the President for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet the delegation and briefed him on the purpose of the mission. Prof. Eddy Maloka, CEO of the APRM Continental Secretariat, then presented the final draft of the baseline study of the major bottlenecks facing the Continent, a project that was launched in August 2016 following presentations made by H.E. President Museveni to the APR Forum.

The President welcomed the progress on the Bottlenecks project, explained the background to the issues covered therein, and expressed his confidence that the findings of the report would inform the ongoing reflections for the renewal of the APRM tools and processes. The President expressed satisfaction with the quality of the study and commended the Secretariat’s proposed plan to share the report at the next meeting of the APR Forum in January 2018 and to have the study published at the appropriate time.

The President was also briefed on the status of Uganda’s preparations to receive the APRM Country Review Mission later in the year. In a brief presentation, he made at the meeting, Dr. Robert Okello, Chairperson of the National Governing Council for Uganda, expressed the country’s readiness for the second-round review, for which the Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR) is already at an advanced stage.

The meeting concluded with an audience with H. E. David Bahati on the next steps, where the NGC and the APRM delegation recommitted to work closely together with a view to finalising the process and ensuring the actual peer review takes place at the January 2018 meeting of the APR Forum. It was further agreed that the Country Review Mission will be deployed by early October 2017.

The APRM delegation was made up of the lead panelist, the CEO and staff of the APRM Secretariat and representatives of three of the APRM strategic partners, namely the UNECA, UNDP, and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

The visiting delegation expressed its appreciation to the Government and people of Uganda for their warm welcome and hospitality.