Pan-Africanism as a panacea for Africa's governance challenges AKA AS: The African peer review mechanism effectively promotes good governance
Date
2013-05-06
Authors
Chiyenge, Upite
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The point of analysis in this research is how and why the African Peer Review mechanism which is a Pan-African initiative; is the best means or mechanism for the promotion of good governance in Africa, taking into consideration that poor governance threatens most African countries. This essay will look at elements good of governance that need to be promoted in Africa such as political accountability, respect for human rights, the rule of law, eradication of corruption, economic reforms and efficient public management. This research also shows that the APRM is effective at promoting good governance because participation of African countries in this mechanism is voluntary and not mandatory which ensures that countries will not be reluctant to participate in the APRM process, resulting in them not wanting to reveal the real governance challenges in their countries, which would therefore render the APRM process ineffective if it were mandatory. The APRM also ensures by it being voluntary that countries do not lose their legalistic sovereignty. This research suggests that the APRM does not and in future should not take the form of legally binding acts backed by sanction but is instead or should be a means of soft persuasion which can become an important driving force to stimulate a country to change, achieve goals and meet standards and therefore it is recommended in this research that the APRM may in part play the role of a dispute settlement mechanism by encouraging the kind of dialogue among states that helps to clarify their interests and positions. It will also be sought to briefly compare other means of promoting good governance such as the strategies of international financial institutions, with the APRM process, to conclude that the APRM is the best means of promoting good governance in Africa because unlike strategies of international financial institutions that show traits of neocolonialism, the APRM represents a commitment to African self monitoring by African themselves taking responsibility and relying on a system of peer pressure through which governments can monitor each others political and economic performance. This research also suggests and explains how negative intemal factors in a country such as corruption, abuse of human rights, lack of accountability, to mention but a few and also external factors such as neocolonialism made manifest in some negative aspects found in Foreign Direct Investment and Foreign Aid, affect governance in most African countries negatively.
Description
Keywords
Pan-Africanism , Nationalism-Zambia