President John Dramani Mahama has affirmed Ghana’s readiness to place its governance systems under renewed scrutiny through the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), emphasizing the process as vital for tracking progress and enhancing accountability.
He made the remarks while swearing in members of the National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (NAPRM-GC) at the Presidency in Accra.
The President explained that the newly constituted council will oversee Ghana’s second-generation peer review, scheduled to commence next week alongside the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“We’re willing to do that and we’ll be available to lead that process,” President Mahama assured.
Recalling Ghana’s earlier engagement with the APRM, he noted that the country was among the first to voluntarily submit to a comprehensive review in 2006 a process that has since been a source of national pride.
“It has been a matter of pride that Ghana’s democracy, accountable governance, and other achievements are reviewed by our peers,” he said.
President Mahama highlighted that the first review revealed significant development disparities between northern and southern Ghana. These findings informed the creation of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).
“The review pointed to the considerable gap between the deprived northern belt and the south. We now want to assess what progress has been made in addressing these inequalities and the opportunities that have been created across the country,” he stated.
He added that the new review will enable the government to evaluate the impact of earlier interventions and guide future policy decisions.
The Governing Council is chaired by Ladyship Professor Akua Kuenyehia, who expressed gratitude to the President for the trust placed in the team and pledged to uphold the transparency and independence of the process.
Other council members 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.
Established in 2003 by the African Union, the APRM is a voluntary self-monitoring initiative aimed at promoting good governance, political stability, and sustainable development. It encourages countries to evaluate policies and practices across democracy and political governance, economic management, corporate governance, and socio-economic development.
