Members of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Panel of Eminent Persons are in the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, attending the 7th meeting of the APRM Focal Point Steering Committee meeting, at the Atlantic Lumley Beach Hotel. The three-day meeting (8th to 10th June 2022) will set a new height for the new executive upon the expiration of the term of office of the past in February 2022, which ushers in His Excellency Julius Maada Bio as chairperson of the Heads of the APRM.
The hybrid meeting in Sierra Leone is a statutory meeting of the APRM that is expected to discuss: setting the agenda for the incoming executive for the next two years; a proposal for the appointment of new panel members; adaptation of the calendar of statutory meetings; unconstitutional changes of government which were proposed by the 16th Extraordinary meeting of the African Union; a decision on the APRM support program; and collaboration between the APRM secretariat and other institutions that fight against illicit financial flow, among others.
The Vice Chairman of the APRM Panel of Eminent Persons, Dr. Abdoulie Janneh, says they are excited about the appointment of His Excellency Julius Maada Bio, as chairperson of the Heads of the APRM, and his executive. On behalf of the Eminent Persons of the APRM, congratulates them and assures them of driving the chairperson’s initiatives together with unflinching support from the APRM secretariat.
The Vice Chairman congratulates the new Focal Point Committee members for demonstrating commitment in overseeing the work of the focal point and also congratulates the new members of the panel of eminent persons.
Dr. Abdoulie Janneh, described the APRM as the most tangible proof of the continent’s commitment to improving governance in Africa, against which they are looking for progress under the new leadership of President Bio. He said it was essential that they come together on the matter of steering APRM to a new height and to ensure the implementation of its mandate.
The Chief Executive Officer of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Continental Secretariat, Professor Eddy Maloka, says they are happy about the appointment of President Bio as chairperson of heads of APRM. He stated that following the successful conclusion of the 16th Extraordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, they are meeting for the first time to congratulate President Bio on his appointment and to host the first meeting in his country under his leadership.
He used the session to congratulate and welcome new member countries of the APRM, including Mozambique, Senegal, Gabon, Kenya, and Egypt. He expressed their appreciation for the new members and how happy they are to have them.
Professor Eddy Maloka, said the Sierra Leone meeting is a demonstration of the fact that they are ready to work with President Bio and that they are his continental body. He said the meeting is serving as a platform to prepare a program of action for President Bio, as chairperson of the APRM Heads of States for the next two years, which he will be leading on the African Continent.
The Chief Executive Officer said they are hopeful that at the end of their deliberation, they are going to present the President with a proposal from the meeting with the ministers of eminence, which, according to him, the President himself will announce as his program for the next two years.
It is worth noting that the APRM is a mutually agreed instrument voluntarily acceded to by the African Union Member States as an African self-monitoring mechanism. It is often described as the continent's "unique and innovative approach to governance" with the objective of improving governance dynamics at the local, national, and continental levels.
The APRM was adopted by the African Heads of States and Government as a systematic peer, learning and self-assessment mechanism originating from the NEPAD foundational document, the "Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance," adopted in Durban, South Africa in July 2002.
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