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Herald Reporter
Zimbabwe is on the verge of joining the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), a continental mechanism that fosters internal dialogue among African countries with a view to advancing democracy, sustainable development and good governance.

APRM is a specialised agency of the African Union (AU) that promotes best governance practices to African countries for socio-economic growth, through self-assessment.

It is a tool for sharing experiences, reinforcing best practices, identifying deficiencies and assessing capacity-building needs to foster policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration.

The leadership of APRM yesterday paid a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa at State House.

APRM chief executive Professor Edward Maloka, who was the head of the delegation, said his team was in Zimbabwe at the invitation of President Mnangagwa.

“We were invited by President Mnangagwa, who is keen to have Zimbabwe accepted as a member of APRM.

“We discussed a number of issues related to our work and he urged us to work with Zimbabwe and ensure it becomes a member of APRM.

“The President wants us to speak to Zimbabwe and this afternoon, we will be talking to our peers in Zimbabwe on the modalities of setting up Zimbabwe’s own structures,” he said.

Prof Maloka said it was high time Zimbabwe should join APRM for growth.

“It is in line with the ‘Zimbabwe Is Open for Business’ mantra where you want to open up your country for economic growth.

“It is high time Zimbabwe should join the big family. Reports will be compiled on the performance of every member, and if need be, members are urged to improve on certain areas of governance,” he said.

APRM was initiated in 2002 and established in 2003 by the African Union in the framework of the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Member countries within the APRM undertake self-monitoring in all aspects of their governance and socio-economic development.