Benin report - Institut Africain de la Gouvernance

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION: THE APRM PROCESS AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN BENIN__________________________________________________________________________mutual trust and confidence in the process. It is also a commitment to African governance forAfricans and serves as a tool for implementing the codes and standards enshrined in theDeclaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance and for achievingsocioeconomic development.National ownership and leadership by participating countries are essential for theeffectiveness of such a process. This includes leadership as practised in other existingnational processes, such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), the MTEF, theNational Human Rights Action Plans, strategies for the MDGs, ongoing institutional reformsand other poverty reduction strategies, as well as other relevant governance andsocioeconomic development strategies, programmes and projects.Twenty-seven member countries of the AU have thus far voluntarily acceded to the APRM.Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon,Ghana, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Ugandawere the first 15 countries to accede. Benin and Egypt signed the MOU at the AUExtraordinary Summit held in Syrte, Libya, in February 2004. In July 2004, five other countries– Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Tanzania – acceded during the AU Summit heldin Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Later, two more countries – Sudan and Zambia – acceded duringthe APR Forum Summit in Khartoum, Sudan, in January 2006. São Tomé and Príncipesigned the MOU during the NEPAD Implementation Committee meeting held in Addis Ababain January 2007, and Djibouti acceded during the Forum Summit held in Accra, Ghana, inJuly 2007.Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius and Rwanda were the first countries in which reviews were held (in2004). So far, CRMs have been carried out in six countries: Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, SouthAfrica, Algeria and Benin. Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa and Algeria were peerreviewedat the APR Forum Summits in Khartoum, Banjul and Accra.3. So far, 27 member countries of the AU have voluntarily acceded to theAPRM. Accession signifies the commitment of the signatory to be peerreviewedperiodically, to be guided by the agreed mechanisms and to commititself to achieving good political, economic and corporate governance andsocioeconomic development in its programme of action.4. The APRM process comprises five successive phases. They are defined in theAPRM Base Document and are described briefly below.5. Phase One is a preparatory phase, both at the level of the APR Secretariat andat national level. Under the direction of the APR Panel, the secretariatforwards a questionnaire, covering the four focus areas of the APRM, to thecountry to be reviewed. With the assistance, if necessary, of the APRSecretariat and/or relevant partner institutions, the country uses thequestionnaire to conduct a self-assessment exercise. After completing the selfassessment,the country formulates a preliminary programme of action thatbuilds on existing policies, programmes and projects. Both the CSAR and thepreliminary programme of action are submitted to the APR Secretariat. At thesame time, the APR Secretariat develops a background document on thecountry. This document is drafted on the basis of documentary research and onrecent and relevant information about the state of governance anddevelopment in the country. It covers the four focus areas.6. Phase Two is the country review visit. Under the direction of the APR Panel,the CRM visits the country concerned. Its priority is to add to the CSAR by33