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Technical Workshop on the Implementation of the African Peer Review
Process in Nigeria
As a follow-up to the six sensitization workshops
organized for Nigerian civil society stakeholders in the six political
regions of Nigeria, the Africa Leadership is organizing a series of
workshops on the implementation of the APR process in Nigeria. The
workshops have been designed to increase the level of interpretative
and structured understanding and overall technical competence of the
key stakeholders in the implementation the APR process in Nigeria.
click here for more information
As
you are probably aware, a major aspect of the New Partnership for
Africa’s Development, includes the African Peer Review Mechanisms (APRM,
a self – assessment instrument designed to ensure that the policies
and practices of participating sates conform to the agreed principles
and standards of NEPAD. APRM is located under NEAPD “Democracy and
Political Governance Initiative (DPGI). The participating countries
agree to an external review every three years, to assess how well they
are fulfilling DPGI obligations. Addressed in the APRM are conditions
for sustainable development, among them peace and security, good
economic, political, and corporate governance.
Nigeria, along with 23 other countries, including Ghana, Kenya,
Rwanda, Algeria and South Africa, has since acceded to the mechanism
just as she has embraced liberal democracy as the best form
government. It therefore becomes a necessity that multi-stakeholder
understanding and consensus on the nature and indeed of the
operationlaization of the APR process be sought at the National level,
as the real acid test will come with the implementation of the Peer
reviews. Political peer review is a difficult matter and one may not
be too sure of the level of success the review will generate, but the
centrality of peer review as a catalyst for development and
acceleration is not in doubt.
As
a response, the Africa Leadership Forum and the Centre for Democracy
and Development early in 2005 organized a series of sensitization
workshops for civil society stakeholders in the geo-political regions
of Nigeria. The outcomes of the meeting revealed a stringent “need for
a series of technical workshops for different segments of society
covering both state and non-state actors, at the national as well as
the state levels, explaining in clearer details roles and
responsibilities of different segments of society in the review
process and creating a sustainable basis for the review.
The main objective of the project are to: create a conducive
environment for the monitoring governance and the implementation of
the APR process in Nigeria and also to ensure effective domestication
and integration of the APR process into national governance process,
while linking same within the National Economic and Empowerment
Development Strategy (NEEDS) framework.
The workshop will seek to
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Redefine the role of
stakeholders in the implementation process based on the lessons
learned in the countries that far ahead of Nigeria in the
implementation for the APR process, (Rwanda and Ghana)
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Draw useful linkages
between the APRM and NEEDS
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Identify the
immediate challenges that are likely to confront its implementation
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Determine the scope
of information that is required and how to access them in order to
have an acceptable and credible country review exercises
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Facilitate the
adoption of a mechanism for ensuring sustainability and
effectiveness of the APR process
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Increase the level of
interpretative understanding and overall technical competence of the
key stakeholders.
for more information on this project,
please contact the Programmes Officer Mr. Vitalis Ortese on e-mail
vitalis@africaleadership.org and by phone on 039 722 730 |
