Lilongwe, Malawi, 1 December 2023 - At the request of the Government of the Republic of Malawi, a technical support mission from the APRM Continental Secretariat was deployed to the capital city of Lilongwe, from November 26, 2023, to December 1, 2023; to resuscitate the APRM process which began 19 years ago in 2004. The support mission aimed at sensitising key government institutions about the APRM review process and more importantly, to provide technical support to the National Secretariat for the establishment of national structures in the country.
The technical team led by Advocate Batlokoa Makong and composed of Dr McBride Nkhalamba, Ms Diana Demba Mutondo and Ms Ntholelo Moorosi kickstarted engagements in the country with an in-depth briefing session with the APRM National Secretariat at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs. This engagement focused primarily on proving technical guidance through the APRM process and identifying some of the constraints the country experiences in establishing its national structures. During the discussions the APRM delegation emphasised the critical role the APRM National Secretariat at the Ministry of Finance should play in spearheading the process of revitalisation.
This first day of consultation was followed by two days of courtesy visits to government institutions and agencies consisting of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, Malawi Human Rights Commission, the Financial Intelligence Authority, the Judiciary and the Ministry of Mining. These courtesy visits had for objectives to further sensitise government institutions and agencies and to gather their support for the revitalisation and implementation of the APRM process in Malawi. The Technical team also stressed on the roles and the value-added of each stakeholder in ensuring that the review process is successful, and that Malawi be counted amongst the success stories of the mechanism.
As a way forward, it was agreed that the Republic of Malawi will establish its National Governing Council and plan the undertaking of a targeted review in natural resource management and mining given the current economic climate and identified needs. In that regard, the APRM continental secretariat has reiterated its support to the Republic of Malawi and shall be facilitating capacity building and experience sharing exercises in preparation of the targeted review.
About the African Peer Review Mechanism
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is an initiative of the African Union, founded in March 2003 by the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The purpose of APRM is to facilitate the adoption of policies, principles and practices that contribute to political and economic stability and growth, additionally to leading sustainable development. The four thematic areas of APRM are composed of:
- Democracy and Good Political Governance
- Economic Governance and Management
- Corporate Governance
- Socio-Economic Development
- State Resilience to Shocks and Disasters
In January 2017, the AU Assembly of Head of States and Government expanded the APRM mandate to Monitoring and Evaluation of the implementation of AU Agenda 2063 and SDGs 2030. While the January 2018 Assembly, amongst other things, welcomed steps taken to position the APRM as an early warning tool for conflict prevention in Africa, in the context of harmony and synergy between the APRM, African Peace and Security Architecture, and the African Governance Architecture
For more information contact: Ms. Ejigayhu Tefera, Country Coordinator, Malawi, E-mail: ejigayhu.tefera@aprm-au.org;
