“This paper assesses the origins of the APRM, the benefits that it has brought to the continent, and the obstacles that militate against success. To assess the impact of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), it is necessary to understand where it came from. In the Africa of the old Organisation of African Unity, the sovereignty of states was paramount and criticism of countries within the magic circle unacceptable. Today the idea that individual sovereign states should voluntarily submit their governance and economic development practices to judgment by their peers has been accepted by more than half the countries on the continent, containing three-quarters of the population of Africa. There is widespread acknowledgment that ‘development is impossible without true democracy, respect for human rights, peace and good governance’.”
