From: Patrick A. Firempong, GNA Special Correspondent, Kigali.
Kigali, Feb.13, GNA - Ghana and three other African countries have indicated their preparedness to begin the implementation of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) this year.
Dr Francis Appiah, Technical Adviser at the Ministry of Regional Co-operation and NEPAD who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Kigali, Rwanda on Friday, said the other countries were Rwanda, Kenya and Mauritius.
He said: "Ghana will likely be the first African country to be subjected to the Peer Review and a Country Review Team is expected in Ghana soon to effect the Review".
Dr Appiah one of Ghana's representative to the NEPAD Steering Committee was speaking to the GNA after participating in the Committee's Consultation
Meeting as part of the on-going First APR Forum and the 9th NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC). The NEPAD Steering Committee meets at least once every three months and with the NEPAD Secretariat, prepare programmes, co-ordinate and expedite the process of updating existing plans or preparing new ones in sectors where none existed.
A second role is strengthening political ownership and leadership by the HSGIC.
A third is engaging development partners and mobilising additional resources.
Dr Appiah said out of the four countries, Ghana was the only country that had reached an advanced stage for the Review in terms of preparation.
Dr Appiah said Ghana had set up a Ministry for NEPAD, had undertaken an extensive consultations with Parliament and Civil Society Organisations.
He said the Committee decided that funding of the Peer Review process should be clear from donor assistance to maintain the African ownership of the process.
On the meeting, Dr Appiah said it discussed the APR Panel of Eminent Persons questionnaire and Code of Conduct for the process that had been put in place and was ready to be sent to the 16 African States that were prepared to undertake the Review and inform them of the state of preparedness of the Review process.
The 16 countries are Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Mauritius, Ethiopia, South Africa, Rwanda, Mozambique, Algeria, Senegal, Cameroon, the Demoractic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Mali and Burkina Faso.
Let us contribute to Funding of Peer Review Mechanism - Obasanjo
The First African Peer Review Forum of NEPAD opened in Kigali, Rwanda on Friday with a call on African Leaders to contribute financially for the successful implementation of the process. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairperson of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) made the call when addressing the opening session of the Forum. He asked countries that had acceded to the Review Mechanism to submit details of their decision to the focal person at the NEPAD Secretariat and the APR Panel of Eminent Persons to enable them to assess and begin the implementation of the process.
He commended the government and people of Rwanda for the reconciling and reconstructing of their country in peace and tranquillity after the 1994 genocide.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame welcoming the delegates made up of seven Heads of State and Government and representatives from six other countries said Rwanda was privileged to host the Forum. He pledged to submit his country to the review process.
Among the Heads of State and government at the Forum was President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana.
