East Africa Rising : 2022

Monday 21 November 2022

Fwd: INVITATION TO THE AMDC VIRTUAL SIDE EVENT AT THE AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT ON INDUSTRIALIZATION AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION ON NOVEMBER 24TH 2022

fya

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E.K.Bensah Jr,
*Deputy Executive Director -- AfCFTA Policy Network-Ghana & Diaspora

*AU Department of Trade & Industry Media Network on Africa's Industrialization
*Agenda2063 Media Network Member
*APRM Communicators Network
*M-D, EcowasBusinessNews.blogspot.com
*Head of Comms & Research & Host -- "Africa in Focus Show" /AIFTV
*former Exec Producer -- XYZ Africa News Bulletin@8

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http://www.twitter.com/ekbensah |
*TEL:+233.268.687.653 / +233.233.311.789 / +233.243.111.789
*eml: ekbensah@gmail.com | africainfocusshow@gmail.com
*Telegram/Whatsapp:+233.233.311.789
AFRICA IN FOCUS: africainfocusshow.blogspot.com
________________________________________________________________________________
EKBENSAH DotNet: Regional integration Intelligence| West Africa-ECOWAS | Communications | Civil society
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Thuso Mogae <MogaeT@africa-union.org>
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2022, 12:02
Subject: INVITATION TO THE AMDC VIRTUAL SIDE EVENT AT THE AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT ON INDUSTRIALIZATION AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION ON NOVEMBER 24TH 2022
To: Thuso Mogae <MogaeT@africa-union.org>

Dear Sir/ Madam,

You are cordially invited to participate in AMDCs virtual side event in the margins of the AU Industrialization Summit taking place on 24^th November 2022 from 14:00hrs to 15:45hrs Niamey time. Please note the link on the brochure attached.

The concept note, program and brochure are attached.

We count on your active participation.

Kind Regards,

Thuso Mogae

Administrative and Finance Officer

African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC)

Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals(ETTIM)

African Union Commission Headquarters

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

+251 963971624

Wednesday 2 November 2022

APN CONFERS HONORARY MEMBERSHIP UPON THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA

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APN Group led by APN Chairman Dr. Joe Tackie met with the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia on Monday 17th October, 2022 at the Jubilee House.

The meeting presented an opportunity to formally introduce APN to the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana while highlighting the role of APN in attaining a successful African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The Chairman expressed focus on women and the youth within the activities of APN as well as African Continental Free Trade Area sensitization programmes. Honing in on Africa's population potential by 2050, he elaborated on the necessity of youth involvement within AfCFTA and how if properly mobilized, could effectively make Africa a global leader in the coming 4th Industrial Revolution.

The Chairman emphasized the role of women within the mentioned 4th Industrial Revolution, considering that women comprise the larger population in Africa. He cited further that women constitute the majority of the present trading population across the continent and as such, focus on improving the capacities of women in trade in Africa is not an option.

The Chairman of APN further inform the Vice President of the international nature of APN with representatives from across the world as evidenced by 2 representatives of the University of Cincinnati present at the meeting. He expressed the importance of this international community for carrying out the global sensitization agenda of AfCFTA across the world.

The Chairman proceeded to respectfully confer Honorary Membership of APN on His Excellency the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia; to which the Vice President warmly accepted.

He made known the strong ties that exist between the AfCFTA Secretariat and APN Group and especially, the relationship established with the Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat Wamkele Mene.

He cited the acknowledgement of the Secretary General on the unique role played by APN in the realization of AfCFTA thus far, emphasizing the necessity of the relationship between the two intertwined organisations.

The APN Chairman briefed the Vice President of the Republic on some key activities undertaken within the APN calendar such as the Africa Globalized Investment Forum and State of AfCFTA Trading.

The Executive Director stated the intentions of APN to invite the Vice President to the next Africa Globalized Investment Forum in Seychelles in 2023.

The Vice President acknowledged the African Continental Free Trade Area as the largest Free Trade Area in the world with over $2 billion dollars in trading goods expected to be generated each year. Africa has no excuse than to make it work.

He stated that "the advocacy of APN is critical to actualizing the goals of AfCFTA".

The Vice President expressed his sincere gladness to know that the role of women and youth is at the forefront of the APN agenda, citing that women and youth remain the key to Africa's future given our population potential.

He highlighted the launch of Pan African Payment Settlement Systems (PAPSS) earlier in 2022 to help facilitate the challenges faced in cross border payments across the continent and the diaspora.

Furthermore, the Vice President emphasized that the quickest way for Africa to be transformed is through the development of technology, focusing particularly on digitization initiatives that are needed all across the continent.

His Excellency commended the government on the successful implementation of the ECOWAS Biometric ID Card which has become a prerequisite for most systems operations in Ghana.

Furthermore, he cited Ghana as one of only four states worldwide to have successfully implemented this nationwide initiative. This initiative as well as the technological advancement made within the past years has had a tremendous effect on bank account ownership which has risen from 30% to 90%.

Also, the digital property address initiative has brought about vast new opportunities and accessibilities to business in Ghana. It opened up the e-Commerce sector and the formal economy.

His Excellency Dr. Bawumia stated emphatically that with the One District One Factory promise, Ghana now has at least one factory in each district with as many as five in some. He added that 70% of factories are in the Agro processing sector.

He further added that Ghana now possesses the world's largest medical drone delivery system which is pivotal to such exercises as conveying blood to centers where needed. He emphasized that every flight potentially saves a life.

Source: APN TradeNews

#AfDB Releases New Report on Security, Investment & Development on Sidelines of #AUTangiers2022

The AfDB has responded to the just-ended Tangiers conference on peace, security and development nexus by launching a report unpacking *Security, Investment & Development* 👇🏿

The report highlights several significant issues such as:

*Insecurity on the rise:* The report finds that incidences of conflict and violence are on the rise in Africa. _*In the last twenty years, more than 469,000 people lost their lives due to conflicts and human insecurity*_. In 2021, more than 18,000 conflicts affected the continent and the number of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) reached 32 million.

*Government response*; implication for development budgets: Governments are responding to insecurity _*by increasing budgetary allocation to security spending*_. Military expenditure in Africa was an estimated US$39 billion in 2021[based on data from 48 countries], 7 percent higher than in 2018 and 16 percent higher than in 2011. Over the past decade, the biggest percentage increases in military expenditure occurred in the Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Countries with large development needs are allocating a large share of their GDPs to military expenditure, undermining prospects for attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the targets of Agenda 2063.

*Fiscal implications of multiple crisis:* Many countries are faced with multiple crisis _*imposed by conflict, climate change, and COVID-19*_. These countries are dealing with recurrent public financing deficit, ballooning debt levels and limited private capital to bridge their domestic financing needs. The dilemma of allocating scarce resources to mitigate against these crises is putting immense pressures on fiscal balances, threatening debt sustainability, and adversely affecting people and livelihoods.

*Spillover risks:* The report presents the risks of _*cross-border spill overs both in terms of conflict and their consequences*_. Fourteen African countries that have a current conflict situation _*share 80 land borders with other African countries*_. Due to these spill-over risks, conflict in a few African countries undermines the continent's competitiveness as a destination for trade and investment.

*Inadequate resources and uncoordinated approaches:* While development partners present opportunities for building peace in the continent, _*the lack of a coherent strategy and limitations in both resource availability and their predictability have constrained progress and sustainability*_.

Findings of the study are already informing the Bank's engagements with the African Union, member countries of the Bank Group, development partners and other key stakeholder, *to explore the Security-Indexed Investment Bonds ("SIIBs") initiative*. The initiative plans to mobilize adequate scalable, adaptable, and flexible resources to effectively address the root causes of insecurity, enhance the capacity of formal institutions, build communities' resilience, and rehabilitate communities and infrastructure adversely impacted by insecurity.

The report will complement the Bank's engagements in fragile and conflict affected situations and the work of African Union's Peace and Security Architecture.

"The African Development Bank Group remains committed to working with the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities, development partners, governments, the private sector and civil society organizations to mobilize the resources needed to help address Africa's development and regional integration challenges," N'Sele said..

Contact:

Amba Mpoke-Bigg, Communication and External Relations Department, email: a.mpoke-bigg@afdb.org

#Niger launches #WURI project to issue biometric ID for regional trade and public services

Oct 31, 2022, 1:33 pm EDT | Chris Burt

A regional system for digital identity that is *interoperable between West African countries has been launched in Niger*, LeSahel.org reports. The project will support the establishment of a biometric ID for domestic and regional use.

The West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) is a project to build foundational identity systems in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The WURI-Niger project will begin with strengthening legal and institutional frameworks, identifying gaps in the existing legal foundation. The second component is the establishment of robust and inclusive identification systems, including unique identification numbers linked to biometric data. The government will issue credentials free of charge, according to an English translation of the article.

The third component of the project is intended to provide documents that can be used to access public and private-sector services. These credentials are intended to support cross-border service access through the verification and authentication of users' digital identity.

Biometric identification will be used to provide access to basic public services, WURI-Niger says in an announcement on LinkedIn.

The project also includes upgrading the capacity of the High Authority for the Protection of Personal Data (HAPDP).

The project is not intended to replace the existing national civil status system, but rather to extend it with a regional credential which is also recognized within the country.

Niger's implementation is part of the second phase of the WURI project, which is funded with $273 million from the World Bank. Togo began working with MOSIP to develop its national ID system in line with the WURI initiative towards the end of 2021.

The Niger launch announcement was attended by representatives of the Presidency of the Republic of Niger, the World Bank and its ID4D initiative, UNICEF, UNHCR, the World Food Programme and other national authorities, according to another LinkedIn post.

If successful, the project will deliver proof of identity to 22 million people in Niger by 2026.

Source: https://www.biometricupdate.com/202210/niger-launches-wuri-project-to-issue-biometric-id-for-regional-trade-and-public-services

Monday 24 October 2022

NEW #IDEP COURSE: #Migration Policy, #Free Movement and Regional Integration in Africa

The course aims to guide middle and senior level policymakers in Regional Economic Communities (RECs); Public Policymakers from National Governments; Stakeholders representing National and Regional Civil Society Organizations on the formulation of national and regional migration policies that will enhance regional integration and actively contribute to the implementation of countries' development strategies and international agreements in the area of migration.

https://ecowasbusinessnews.blogspot.com/2022/10/new-idep-course-migration-policy-free.html

Friday 21 October 2022

NEW #IDEP COURSE: #Migration Policy, #Free Movement and Regional Integration in Africa

The United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (UN-IDEP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have launched an online course on: "Migration Policy, Free Movement and Regional Integration in Africa" from 14th November 2022.

For further details, please find attached the announcement, also available on-line here:

https://knowledge.uneca.org/idep/event/migration-policy-free-movement-and-regional-integration-africa

The deadline for submission of applications is 12th November 2022. All applications can be submitted directly online, including supporting documents through the electronic application form using the following link: https://idep-applications.uneca.org/

Thursday 6 October 2022

#AfricanForumOnMining: When Moderator Duties Go a-Calling at the Second African Forum on Mining in Addis Ababa

#AfricanForumOnMining: When Moderator Duties Go a-Calling at the Second African Forum on Mining in Addis Ababa:

ADDIS ABABA

I had the priviledge of moderating a session on 4 October at the Julius Nyerere Hall of the AU's Peace & Security Building. The session was entitled "Resource-based Industrialization in Green Minerals Value Chains: The Case of Solar Power Systems & EVs". It featured Tatenda Mungofa , Nyasha Chasakara, kojo francis, Eddy Sebera

When the personable Interim Director of African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) Dr Marit Y. Kitaw approached me to remember the time and try to do it in thirty minutes, I swallowed hard. When Progranmes Officer for AMDC Mkhululi N Ncube reminded me not to go a minute beyond 30 minutes, my mouth went dry, knowing this was quite a feat of herculean proportions.

How do I moderate a session empanelled by 4 "paragons of manufacturing virtue", as I put it somewhere in the moderation session, without offending them I had cut them off.

Swallowing what was left of my dry mouth, I ensure each had 3 minutes to speak. Thereafter, I went, like magic, into moderator mode:

" I think we are on track, so there will be an opportunity for answers and questions for those who would like to contribute.

Not to sum up -- because I couldn't even begin to sum up-- except to say that I think what we have here on the panel...are... paragons of manufacturing virtue - so to speak.

In each of your own capacities, you are doing something big. [you] are talking about Assembly plants in solar; you are talking about phones, cars; and there's a lot of things we still need to unpack around the conversation, because let's be honest: we don't have experts filled in this room. We still have people who are mid-level...we need to break this conversation down to them.

So what I'm going to try and do is as I open the floor for questions and answers, to try and find out questions from people who would like to find out more about the important points from these CEOs, and how we can take the conversation further when we get back home.

We don't want this to die...we remembered all those who had fought for this conversation on AmdC and Mining Vision. ..There are lots of heroes in this conversation we cannot name now, so we will need to continue the journey as equitably and critically as we can.

Thank you for your time. The floor is open for questions. Maybe we can pick three for now ...and try and limit it to 1 minute if you can. A contribution or a comment or a question please.

Thank you very much."

In the end, I managed about 45 minutes max, with 3 questions and responses by all panellists.

Not quite the 30 minutes I had hoped for -- but we shall do better next time!

For more on what was said by these panellists, you can check @AfricanAMDC on twitter and do a twitter search for "#AfricanForumOnMining Sebera" to get to the panel and Mr Sebera's comment on my moderator duties, which turned out to be humbling.

Tuesday 4 October 2022

HAPPENING NOW IN #NIGER: Swedish Government, #KAIPTC strengthen capacities of regional actors to report on progress of WPS Agenda in Africa

See the source image

Swedish Government, KAIPTC strengthen capacities of regional actors to report on progress of WPS Agenda in Africa

Accra Ghana: The Swedish Government, in partnership with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), is providing funding to train regional actors to better monitor and report on the implementation of the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda in Africa, using the Continental Results Framework (CRF).

Adopted by the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council in 2018, the CRF aims at enhancing regular and systematic monitoring and reporting of the WPS agenda in Africa and contribute to closing the gap between WPS policy commitment and implementation in Africa.

Two decades after the passage of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 which is an important tool for advancing the WPS Agenda, the exclusion of women from formal peace negotiations among other issues remain a challenge.

The CRF has two main objectives - to institutionalize regular and systematic monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the WPS Agenda in Africa, and to strengthen accountability for the implementation of the WPS Agenda in Africa.

The KAIPTC with funding support from the Swedish Government is advancing the WPS Agenda in Africa as part of its strategic objective. Thus, the Centre through its Women Peace and Security Institute (WPSI) in partnership with the Office of the Special Envoy (OSE) on WPS developed a training manual with a simplified template to support Member States on utilizing the CRF in reporting on the WPS agenda as a response to the request made by member states.

With support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the KAPITC will train focal points in charge of the implementation and reporting on the WPS agenda within the identified member states of the AU.

Five countries are benefiting from the training. The training took off in Liberia in September, with similar workshops scheduled to be held in Ghana, Niger, Benin, and The Gambia successively.

The overall objective of the training is to enhance skills and knowledge on the WPS monitoring and reporting.

The Course has adopted a "Trainers of trainers" approach and thus, it is expected that the participants would further train more people in their respective Ministries, Departments and Units.

Gender equality and improved human security are central goals in Swedish Development Cooperation and clearly reflected in SIDA's result strategies. Since 2009, the Swedish Government also has been implementing a National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325.

SIDA supports the WPS agenda, given its broad mandate to contribute to poverty reduction in fragile states as well as its strong focus on gender equality and human security.

The CRF recognizes that while several commitments towards the WPS Agenda have been adopted at the continental, regional and national levels in Africa, the continent has not established measures to ensure effective assessment of, and reporting on, the delivery of those commitments. Thus, the Swedish Government and KAIPTC are collaborating to contribute to the effective implementation of the CRF by strengthening the capacities of AU Member States to advance WPS issues on the continent.

--end--

Wednesday 28 September 2022

Media must serve as watchdogs against corruption - AU ABC Executive Secretary

by Marian Ansah,

Nairobi, Kenya

The Executive Secretary of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC), Charity Nchimunya, has emphasized the need for the media to join the Board's efforts in combating corruption.

Speaking at a media engagement workshop held in Nairobi, Ms. Nchimunya said the media can serve as a watchdog by exposing acts of corruption.

The three-day workshop, which was organized by the AUABC in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) office to the African Union (AU), kicked off with a presentation by Dr. Scelo Zibagwe, Programme Planning Specialist at the AU who touched on governance, the rule of law, the AU's thirty-nine priority areas, 15 flagship projects, and seven aspirations.

The first day of the workshop saw Senior Policy Officer at the AU, Martha Munthali highlighting the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC), a roadmap that aims to ensure accountability and transparency by member states.

Ms. Munthali disclosed how the aspirations of the AUCPCC are closely linked to Agenda 2063, saying they both advocate for an Africa that places importance on rule of law, good governance, and democratic values.

Over the years, Transparency International chapters in Cote D'ivoire, Tunisia, and other countries have called for the implementation of the AUCPCC in various areas: money-laundering, political party funding, and illicit enrichment.

AUCPCC also tasks state parties to create an avenue for the media and civil society organizations to hold governments accountable without interference.

By the end of the three-day workshop, journalists will be familiar with the AUABC and its activities.

The workshop will also create a platform for networking and sharing ideas on combating corruption.

You can follow more about these efforts following #AfricaAgainstCorruption across social media.

Follow Marian on www.twitter.com/EfeAnsah

Tuesday 27 September 2022

#COUNTDOWN TO SECOND AFRICAN FORUM ON MINING (#africanForumOnMining)

by E K Bensah Jr

Advocacy & Communications Unit, African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC)

With less than a week before the start of the second edition of the flagship African Forum on Mining, the Advocacy and Communications Unit at the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) has been blasting social media with important nuggets around the conference. Here are some excerpts from twitter feed on www.twitter.com/AfricanAMDC

While a provisional programme is available, more details, including a dedicated website, will be communicated when practicable to do so.

In the meantime, we invite you to follow our LinkedIn page (see below for latest post) and twitter pages for daily updates as we all count down to this important conference helping unpack Africa's Minerals governance:

See you soon!

Monday 26 September 2022

BREAKING: The Second Edition of IOM & AU's Flagship Africa Migration Report is Under Development.

A tweet from twitter today reads:

"What challenges will the 2nd Edition of Africa Migration Report #AMR address? What will it focus on? IOM, @AfricanUnion, & experts are meeting in #Addisababa to discuss this!

Report builds on the 1st Ed. (2020), which addressed a range of issues that have recently come to light."

APN-IOM Sensitization on Africa Migration Report

*ENGLISH*

MYTHS VERSUS REALITIES:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ekbensah_freemovementinafrica-africanmigrationreport-activity-6932876034442711040-UeW7?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=android_app

2. HOW AFCFTA CAN HELP BOOST INTRA-AFRICAN MIGRATION: https://twitter.com/ApnMigration/status/1531227338100416513?t=PVCntHtvg_yEE9Q0vJ-QiQ&s=19

3. #Securitization of #Migration that leads to restrictions for overall movement of Africans within Africa ultimately impacts expansion of Freedom of Movement Protocol (Fmp) Agenda:

https://twitter.com/ApnMigration/status/1536392914884079617?t=4Fe8r4xMcp4d0v6ldLfJbA&s=19https://twitter.com/ApnMigration/status/1536392914884079617?t=4Fe8r4xMcp4d0v6ldLfJbA&s=19

*FRENCH / BILINGUAL*

MYTHES ET REALITES

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ekbensah_africa-migration-report-fran%C3%A7ais-mythes-activity-6943576320152899585--JGL?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=android_app

2. COMMENT LA LIBRE CIRCULATION INTRA-AFRICAINE PROFITERA-T-ELLE A L'AFRIQUE?

https://youtu.be/Vpeguh9s4Ng

3. COMMENT LE COMMERCE ET LE MOUVEMENT INTRA-AFRICAINS BENEFICIERONT-ILS A L'AFRIQUE?

https://youtu.be/SXd4ZXx7H4Q

*The APN-IOM Partnership seeks to do the following:*

👉🏼 promote AU's Freedom of Movement Protocol (2018). Trainings are on the cards beyond the education on @APNMigration on twitter

👉🏼 popularize *African Migration Report* launched by AUC and IOM in October 2020.

At APN, we believe that AfCFTA is not just about intra-African trade but, as the UNECA averred in 2019 in their report, about *dispelling the crisis of implementation around AU programming and validating Agenda 2063*.

Get more information about APN-IOM Partnership on @APNMigration on twitter

Contact *Project Lead & Deputy Executive Director E K Bensah Jr* for more details on how APN is supporting IOM to change the narrative on migration governance in the context of AfCFTA these ways:

twitter: @ekbensah | @afcftapolicyGH

IG: @ekbensah | @afcftapolicyghana

Thursday 22 September 2022

#SAVETHEDATE: NAIROBI HOSTS AU ANTICORRUPTION AGENCY MEDIA BRIEFING & TRAINING

NAIROBI HOSTS AU ANTICORRUPTION AGENCY MEDIA BRIEFING & TRAINING

MEDIA ADVISORY.

The progress on fighting corruption in Africa.

What: African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption will brief the media on the progress that has been made in addressing issues of corruption on the continent.

When: Tuesday, 27th September 2022. 10.30AM

Where: Golden Tulip Hotel, Muthithi Road, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya.

Who: The briefing will be addressed by:

Samuel Mbithi Kimeu, Board Member - African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption; and
Charity Hanene Nchimunya, Executive Secretary - African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption

*Background*

The African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption provides a framework which State Parties can follow to combat corruption. Article 12 of the Convention has called upon State Parties to fully engage the Civil Society and Media in the fight against corruption. Recognizing the role that Media has in educating, informing, and acting as watch dogs and being whistleblowers, it is paramount that Media is equipped with right information on how they can engage State Parties to the Convention.

Media has been deemed to be a practical and effective tool to foster awareness on corruption, as well as voices that demand accountability and transparency from the public and private sectors.

Through investigative journalism, media outlets have been key whistleblowers as well as holding government accountable in the management of public affairs.

Though the Convention, *in Article 12, has called upon State Parties to ensure that the Media is given access to information in cases of corruption and related offences* on condition that the dissemination of such information does not adversely affect the investigation process and the right to a fair trial, reports have shown that this has been hard to come by.

As a way of facilitating experience and knowledge sharing on the lessons and challenges that Journalists face and discuss practical solutions on effective reporting on corruption as a means to strengthen the fight against corruption, *the AUABC is convening a three-day capacity building training with media outlets in Nairobi, Kenya from the 27th to the 29th September 2022*.

Access the African Union Treaties, Conventions, Protocols and Charters related to Governance here.

For more information about the work and mandate of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption, visit https://anticorruption.au.int/en

AFRICAN PEER REVIEW MECHANISM (APRM) DEPLOYS WORLD-FIRST SERIES OF REPORTS ON UNCONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES OF GOVERNMENT (UCG)

#APRM #APRMUCG #APRMPEACE #UCG

This is one of the highlights of my work with African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) as a communicator supporting outreach: the access to new, maybe novel, information that I would heretofore not have access to.

As someone who published a small book in 2019 entitled "How ECOWAS & AU Managed conflicts from 2011-2017" (see profile with link to downloadable report on academia.edu), I am always on the look out for AU's responses to peace and security over the years.

To say I am excited about this new APRM advocacy is understating how this privilege continues to remind one of the sense of responsibility for making an impact on the continent.

APRM's new targeted reviews, and this is something my fellow champions -- Caroline Aluoch Adam Alqali Suzan Mwape Gabriel Baglo -- have all covered since we all started the APRM Communication Network Champion work, are important and specifically-focused reviews that are requested by AU Member States after a general review.

It just so happens in the six countries where the targeted reviews will take place, three are in my home region of West Africa. These are Burkina Faso; Sierra Leone; Guinea Conakry. The others are Chad; Lesotho; Comoros.

The targeted reviews will be conducted in fulfillment of Member States request to ensure that Unconstitutional Changes in Government (UCG) become part of the reporting for African Governance Report (AGR) 2023, which focus will be on UCG for the year.

Most important about this advocacy is how APRM will work with the Africa Governance Architecture platform members to launch a series of targeted reviews from 22 September to 30 October, 2022.

Arguably, this is the first of its kind not just on the continent, but in the world, which makes it especially more exciting and noteworthy.

As far as methodology goes, the methodology is unique, adopting an evidence-based case study on the topic for the purpose of gathering primary data from country experiences and best practices on UCG, through the use of a questionnaire known as a Governance Gap Analysis Tool.

APRM believes this methodology will ensure the full assessment of the causes, triggers and efficacy of AU and REC's frameworks in addressing UCG in Africa.

We will be updating followers on this as and when information is made available from APRM Continental Secretariat.

Follow hashtags across social media using #AGR2023, and #APRMMedia. APRM Champions are on twitter at @APRMChampions.