Zanzibar, Tanzania, 3–4 June 2019 – Sound governance in the continent remains critical for sustainable economic growth and development. The dynamics of governance trends in some African Union member states, have prompted a reflection on the underlying challenges in weak governance systems, and avenues of restoring and maintaining resilient governance in the continent. In the just concluded African Governance Architecture (AGA) meeting aimed at reflecting on the “Africa Governance Report 2019”, the AGA platform members acknowledged that though significant improvements have been noted in the governance trends in the continent, a number of cases still remain an area of concern for the African Union.

African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) CEO Prof. Eddy Maloka, speaking at the meeting, expressed concerns over the governance crises and protests taking place in some countries in Africa. “The continent needs to be robust and frank when dealing with governance matters. We are concerned about the deteriorating trend in governance in Africa and the APRM and the AGA Platform must find ways of addressing that’, Prof. Maloka stated.

AU Commission Director of Political Affairs, Dr. Khabele Matlosa underscored the need to employ relevant interventions aimed at strengthening institutions and human resources capacity building that would address the unfolding developments in some member states.

“I think this a reflection for us here on active interventions by APRM and AGA in the resolution of the crises such as Sudan and Benin, or even the developing situation in Algeria. We need to examine strategies on how the Africa Governance Report is a useful tool in resolving these emanating crises in the Continent”, he noted.

In recognition of the centrality of democratic governance in addressing structural causes of conflict and crises and unconstitutional changes of government, the AGA complements the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) as an affirmation of the nexus between democratic governance, peace and security.

The head of the AGA secretariat, Amb. Salah Hammad, while setting the agenda for the reflections on the “Africa Governance Report 2019”, encouraged the AGA platform members of upscale the implementation of the recommendations in the report, which he noted is significant for the continent to surmount and conclusively address the current governance challenges. The meeting further deliberated on implementing the AU Assembly’s decisions, the enhancement and refinement of the content and processes of developing the Africa Governance Report 2020.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Members of the AGA Platform and representatives of the private sector was also an opportunity to reflect on the role of the National Governing Councils (NGCs) and alternative governance authorities involved in the national governance assessment and reporting process.

The African Governance Report (AGR) contributes to AU efforts to encourage Member States to enhance the performance of governance. The AGR objective is to contribute to the expected results through the identification of governance trends, whose analysis could lead to realistic recommendations for the enhancement and/or improvement of governance. The AGR is premised on the need to measure progress in African governance, which requires tracking, analyzing changes and providing recommendations for further development.

The Report prioritizes five (5) thematic governance assessment areas for the baseline Africa Governance Report (AGR). These are Transformative Leadership; Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law; Peace, Security and Governance; the Nexus of Development and Governance; and the Role of the RECs in governance.