President Mahama swears in Governing Council members of National African Peer Review Mechanism
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed Ghana’s readiness to undergo a thorough peer review. He considers the mechanism an essential exercise that will provide Ghana with the opportunity to evaluate its progress and implement interventions to enhance governance.
The President made these comments after swearing in members of the National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council on February 10.
According to him, the new Council is expected to lead the second-generation review of Ghana next week on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“We are willing to do so and will be available to lead the process,” he assured.
President Mahama observed that Ghana was among the pioneering countries to accede to, volunteer for, and undergo a comprehensive peer review process as far back as 2006.
“It has been a source of pride for us that Ghana’s democracy, accountable governance, and all that we are noted for, would be subjected to review by our peers,” he stated.
He noted that the outcome was the reference to the significant gap between the deprived Northern belt of Ghana and the South, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Savannah and Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) as a platform to provide direct development assistance to stem the migration from North to South.
“So, we want to know what has happened to those inequalities and what level of opportunities we have opened up in other parts of the country,” the President stated.
The new Governing Council is chaired by Her Ladyship Professor Akua Kuenyehia. In a brief remark, Professor Akua Kuenyehia expressed gratitude to the President and assured him of their commitment to upholding transparency and the independence of governance institutions.
Other members are; Dr Joseph Whittal, Chairman of the National Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Joseph Obeng, Mr David Ofosu-Dorte, and Mrs Cornelia Amoah.
The APRM is a voluntary, mutually agreed self-monitoring instrument established in 2003 by the African Union (AU) to promote good governance, political stability, and sustainable development.
It facilitates national dialogue and self-assessments of policies across four areas: democracy, economic management, corporate governance, and socio-economic development.
