African Peer Review Mechanism

16/10/2026

15/10/2026

15/10/2026

The Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) paid a courtesy visit to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) offices following the historic launch of AfCRA in Mauritius on 7 October 2026.

The engagement focused on the importance of securing sustainable funding for AfCRA while safeguarding the Agency’s independence, credibility and transparency in its operations.

During the visit, the AfCRA CEO presented the APRM with a commemorative memento in appreciation of the leadership, dedication and hard work of the APRM team that contributed to the successful launch of the Agency.

15/10/2026

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), in collaboration with the African Governance Platform of the African Union, is developing the fifth edition of the Africa Governance Report (AGR27), under the theme “Youth in Governance: From Promise to Prosperity.”

With over 60% of Africa’s population under the age of 25, young people are central to the continent’s governance transformation and sustainable development. AGR27 will examine how Africa can harness its demographic dividend by strengthening youth participation, leadership, human capital development and technological innovation.

The Report will focus on three key areas:

Youth and Human Capital Development – Strengthening skills, capabilities and opportunities for young Africans.

Youth Leadership in the Public and Private Sectors – Promoting meaningful youth participation, representation and leadership in governance and decision-making.

Youth in Technological Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and E-Governance – Advancing inclusive digital transformation and youth-driven innovation.

The development of AGR27 also marks the 20th anniversary of the African Youth Charter, reinforcing the African Union’s commitment to youth empowerment and inclusive governance.

Through evidence-based analysis and policy recommendations, AGR27 aims to contribute to unlocking the potential of Africa’s young population as a driving force for good governance, innovation and shared prosperity.

15/10/2026

How can African governments build civil services that are agile, accountable and ready to deliver on Agenda 2063?

That was the question on the table in Paris this week. On the margins of the 2026 OECD Global Forum on Building Trust & Reinforcing Democracy, the APRM Continental Secretariat joined the Africa Governance Platform High-level Policy Dialogue on government efficiency and effectiveness in Africa and the MENA region.

Around the table: senior officials from Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Kenya, European counterparts and African Union representatives, all taking stock of civil service and public sector reforms.

Speaking for the APRM, Ms Hamouda, Senior Continental Governance Officer, pointed to four challenges many countries share:�1️⃣ Weak policy integration and limited understanding of civil servants' skills and needs�2️⃣ Parliaments not yet playing a strong enough role in holding the executive to account for service delivery�3️⃣ Corruption practices, the digital divide and transparency measures �4️⃣ The need for stronger leadership capacity
📌 She also highlighted more than four years of APRM–OECD cooperation, including work on policy coherence for sustainable development and the State-Owned Enterprises Network.

This also goes hand in hand with supporting OECD-Africa knowledge sharing and technical exchange dialogues at different multilateral platforms including the High-Level Political Forum on SDGs progress annually.

What's next? Future collaboration is expected to cover e-governance, gender equality, access to justice and the rule of law, resilience, institution building and Economic governance in APRM member countries.

15/10/2026

The targeted review mission on youth issues in Kenya pursued its engagements in Kakamega and Uasin Gishu counties where it met County Commissioners prior to discussing with youth issues which affect their socio-economic welfare.

The youth which the team interacted with indicated the lack of adequate healthcare, the limited opportunities for persons living with disabilities, the lack of mentorship centers and capital to start businesses.

With two more sets of regional consultations before its return to Nairobi, the mission is making progress on collecting data to inform the development of a credible and solution-oriented report for the benefit of Kenyan youth.

13/10/2026

Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), welcomes the African Credit Rating Agency ( ) as a valuable addition to Africa’s financial architecture. He reaffirms ECA’s commitment to supporting stronger macroeconomic and fiscal management and enhanced domestic resource mobilisation to promote Africa’s sustainable development.

13/10/2026

APRM at the 2026 OECD Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy in Paris 🇫🇷

This week in Paris, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) participated in the 2026 OECD Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy, bringing together more than 300 experts and policymakers from Europe and beyond to explore how governments can strengthen trust with citizens, improve Government’s operational agility, and enhance the skills of public servants.
During the panel discussion on « Connecting Citizen Voices to Meaningful Government Action,”Ms Sara Hamouda, Senior Continental Governance Officer, highlighted the role of the APRM Continental Secretariat and national structures in bringing citizens closer to decision-making. She underscored the importance of in-depth governance assessment reviews and continental platforms that create opportunities for civil servants, youth, and civil society to contribute to policy discussions and decisions. These include the Continental Agenda 2063 Platform, Youth Symposium, and South-South and Triangular Cooperation Forum.
Ms Hamouda also emphasized the need to promote free access to information, noting that approximately 55% of Africans enjoy this right across 29 countries. She further stressed the importance of moving beyond sharing best practices towards benchmarking to ensure that governance reforms are implemented within appropriate timeframes.
Achieving these objectives requires sustained political will and a shift in leadership mindsets to respond effectively to Africa’s evolving realities.

13/10/2026

At the start of the second week of its targeted review consultations with Kenyan youth, the APRM team led by the lead Panel member for Kenya, H.E Dr. Thelma Awori, paid courtesy calls on the Kisumu County Governor, H.E Prof Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, as well as the County Commissioner, Mr. Mohamed R. Mwabudzo.

The mission learned that efforts were made to take advantage of the blue economy -with Lake Victoria being one of Kisumu’s assets- and expand employment opportunities to keep youth away from harmful practices.

An agricultural training college and the Kenya School of Agriculture have been used to train and prepare youth for the job market. The governor’s office has put emphasis on early childhood education to ensure holistic youth upbringing in the majority of villages across the county. Upon graduation from TVET programs, many youth go on to start businesses to support themselves and contribute to the development of their county.

12/10/2026

Over the weekend, the APRM targeted review mission had a working session in Nakuru before traveling to Kisumu. It reviewed progress on data collection and report-writing, and discussed the structure of the report and the format of stakeholder engagement as the team covers Western Kenya and the North Rift.