afrol News, 22 September - Zambia has notified the African peer-review secretariat of its decision to accede to the African peer-review mechanism and is ready to be reviewed. The mechanism is a system of "self-monitoring" by which African countries review each others' political and economic governance. So far, only 23 Nepad member states have signed up for a review.

Zambia's willingness to be reviewed was announced by President Levy Mwanawasa in his statement - read on his behalf by Foreign Minister Kalombo Mwansa - officially opening the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) national sensitisation workshop held in Livingstone earlier this month. The workshop's objective was to increase awareness of Nepad, its operations and programmes, and the potential benefits, so as to enhance stakeholder participation.

Nepad's peer-review mechanism is a process where eminent African women and men monitor governance of member countries. Delicate factors such as democracy, corruption and transparency are weighted in a review process that could produce uncomfortable conclusions. Peer review leaders include prominent African rights activists such as Mozambique's Graça Machel, but also ex-politicians, diplomats and economists.

The voluntary mechanism is meant to allow independent analysts and potential investors to assess political, economic and corporate governance in a country. It is part of Nepad's great scheme to promote large investments in Africa to create development. In particular the transparency aspect of the exercise has been emphasised.

So far however, only 23 of the 53 signatories to Nepad have committed themselves to the review, causing South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel last week to ask whether the mechanism should be made a prerequisite for countries wanting to benefit from Nepad.

But also the peer-reviews take their time. According to the Nepad secretariat, reviews of the first four countries - Ghana, Rwanda, Mauritius and Kenya - are only expected to be completed by next year. While 19 more African countries are awaiting a review, the Nepad secretariat has yet to commence on these. The peer-review on Zambia thus probably will start in several years from now.

Meanwhile, at the Nepad seminar in Livingstone, Zambian President Mwanawasa told the workshop that awareness was critical to Nepad's success and was something that should be approached with "passion". Mr Mwanawasa described Nepad as a "forward-looking and ambitious plan" developed by African leaders themselves to address the key challenges that Africa faced, such as poverty and marginalisation.

The workshop was organised by Zambia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and jointly funded by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).

About 60 participants from various sectors of Zambian society attended the workshop, including ministers, MPs and senior officials, and members of academia, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, the UN and intergovernmental institutions, Nepad reports. Also the Nepad secretariat was represented.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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