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ALF, CDD to
organize series of National Consultation Conferences on the African
Peer Review Mechanism for Nigerian Civil Society Organizations
The
African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is one of the unique
features of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). It
is a self - assessment and monitoring instrument designed to ensure
that the policies and practices of participating states conform to the
agreed principles and standards of NEPAD. It is a mechanism designed
to assist African leaders measure progress made in the collective
strives towards the transformation of African economies and societies
based on a set of commonly derived values. The review process will
include knowledge and experience sharing, reinforcement of successful
and best practices, and identification of deficiencies and assessment
of the capacity building requirements.
Nigeria as one of the leading members of the NEPAD and APRM has
indicated its readiness to be peer reviewed, and has indeed set up the
required structures and frameworks for the review process. Apart from
the creation of the NEPAD Nigeria Office, which coordinates all NEPAD
related activities in Nigeria, the President has created a
National
Focal Point and National Working Group on APRM. The two
bodies are entrusted with the task of preparing the country for the
peer review process.
While it is clear that the APRM has quite significant potentials for
Nigeria, it is apparent that a vast majority of the population does
not have a clear understanding of APRM. Given the imminent peer review
process and its potential for institutionalizing good governance in
Nigeria, it is imperative that conscious measures be adopted to
sensitize the various segments of Nigerian society on these important
development initiatives. If the APRM is to achieve the desired
objectives, civil society organizations must be sufficiently
sensitized, prepared, engaged and positioned to ensure a successful
implementation in Nigeria.
The Africa
Leadership Forum and the
Centre for Democracy and Development,
with the support of the UK’s Department
for International Development (DFID), are organizing these
series of consultative workshops to sensitize and elicit from the
diverse stakeholders, strategies, frameworks, as well as an action
plan for their involvement in the country’s review processes. Part of
the objective is also to ensure ownership of the process by Nigerians
and Africans.
This is also a call
for civil society organizations in Nigeria, that are interested in
participating in the consultation conferences to be held in selected
centers in the six geo-political zones of the country. For more
information, please contact, Adeoba Ojekunle, Senior Programmes
Officer,
Ojekunle@africaleadership.org
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