Mauritius receives African Peer Review Mechanism Report

The Mauritius African Peer Review Mechanism Report following the conclusion of the country’s first review exercise was presented to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Dr Arvin Boolell, yesterday afternoon in Port Louis.

Dr Mustapha Mekideche, member of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons and Lead Panel Member for the Mauritius Review Process, and Mr Dalmar Jama, Coordinator for Mauritius, APR Secretariat, handed over the Report to the Minister.  Dr Mekideche and Mr Jama also met APRM Mauritian stakeholders.

In his address during the ceremony, Minister Boolell said that implementing the Mauritius APRM Report is not only the business of Government but also that of all stakeholders hence it is necessary to ensure to get on board everyone from trade unions, civil society, to the private sector.  He emphasised that the essential feature remains governance which also incorporates political, economic and corporate governance.

According to the Minister a responsible approach is required for implementation as well as diligent actions coupled with ensuring that the shortcomings are addressed very forcefully and meaningfully.  The Report will be implemented on the basis of a well-established roadmap and a committee will be set up to oversee its implementation.

For his part, Dr Mustapha Mekideche observed that Mauritius has to be congratulated for its best practices in terms of governance.  We wish other countries, who are already members of the panel, to adopt such best practices and make the most of these.  He cited the important role of corporate governance which has enabled the country to progress and that of social governance including the health and education systems.  Dr Mekideche was hopeful that within a year the Prime Minister will present to his peers a report of implementation of the Mauritius APRM Report.

The APRM

The APRM, launched in 2003 as part of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), is a self-monitoring tool voluntarily acceded to by Member States of the African Union (AU).

Its objective is to foster the adoption of policies, standards and practices leading to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated regional and economic integration through sharing of experiences and reinforcement of successful and best practice, including identifying deficiencies, and assessing the needs for capacity building.

As per the requirements of the Country Review Exercise in line with the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Mauritius and APRM, the Mission needs to have wide consultations with government officials, political parties, parliamentarians, representatives of civil society (including the mass media, academia, trade unions, business and professional bodies).

The Panel of Eminent Persons (APR Panel) oversees the conduct of the APRM process to ensure its integrity, considers review reports and makes recommendations to the APR Forum.

Mauritius was among the first States, along with Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda which volunteered to be the first four pilot countries to be peer reviewed.  The country acceded to the APRM through the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding on the APRM on 9 July 2003 during the meeting of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee held in the margins of AU Summit in Maputo.

It is recalled that the Mauritius’ APRM Country Report was presented to the APRM Forum by the Prime Minister, Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam, and peer reviewed on 24 July 2010 in Kampala, Uganda.