President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed Ghana’s readiness to subject its governance systems to a comprehensive peer review, describing the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) as a critical tool for strengthening accountability and democratic governance.
The President made the remarks after swearing in members of the National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (NAPRM-GC) at the Presidency in Accra.
According to him, the peer review process provides Ghana with an opportunity to assess progress made and identify areas requiring intervention to improve governance outcomes.
“The mechanism is an important exercise that affords us the opportunity to know the progress we have made and the interventions required to improve governance,” President Mahama stated.
He disclosed that the newly constituted Governing Council is expected to lead Ghana’s second-generation peer review next week on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“We are willing to do that, and we will be available to lead that process,” the President assured.
President Mahama recalled that Ghana was among the first countries to accede to the APRM, voluntarily submitting itself to a comprehensive peer review as far back as 2006.
“It has been an issue of pride for us that Ghana’s democracy, accountable governance, and everything we are noted for would be subjected to review by our peers,” he said.
He noted that the outcomes of the first review highlighted significant development disparities between the northern belt of the country and the south, which informed the establishment of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).
“The review pointed to the huge gap between the deprived northern belt of Ghana and the south, which eventually led to the establishment of SADA as a platform to provide direct development assistance and stem migration from north to south,” President Mahama explained.
He stressed the need for the new review to assess progress made in addressing those inequalities.
“So we want to know what has happened to those inequalities and what levels of opportunity we have opened up in other parts of the country,” he added.
The newly sworn-in Governing Council is chaired by Ladyship Professor Akua Kuenyehia.
In a brief remark, she expressed gratitude to the President for the confidence reposed in the Council and pledged its commitment to transparency and independence.
“We are grateful for the trust placed in us, and we assure you of our commitment to upholding transparency and the independence of governance institutions,” Professor Kuenyehia said.
Other members of the Council include Dr Joseph Whittal, Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ); Mr Joseph Obeng; Mr David Ofosu-Dorte; and Mrs Cornelia Amoah.
The African Peer Review Mechanism is a voluntary, mutually agreed self-monitoring instrument established in 2003 by the African Union to promote good governance, political stability, and sustainable development across the continent.
The APRM facilitates national dialogue and self-assessments of policies and practices in four key areas: democracy and political governance, economic governance and management, corporate governance, and socio-economic development.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
