Tanzania: Ambassador Ndagiza new chair of APRM Eminent Persons
By Hassan Abbas – Former Rwandan Ambassador to Tanzania, Fatma Ndagiza has been appointed new chair of the Panel of Eminent Persons of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). The Panel is the main advisory body to the APRM Heads of State and Government.
The appointment was announced at the end of the 20th Summit of APRM Heads of State and Government held on 29th January 2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A press release from the APRM headquarters said Ambassador Ndangiza succeeds the outgoing Chairperson of the APR Panel, Barrister Akere Tabeng Muna, who served as a Panel Member from inception of the Mechanism in 2003 to January 2014. Barrister Muna was also the team leader of the Tanzanian review process.
“She was first appointed as member of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons at the 16th Summit of the APR Forum in 2012. She is currently the Deputy CEO of the Rwanda Governance Board…. Prior to her assumption of these positions, she served as Rwandan Ambassador to Tanzania and was also accredited to Malawi, Zambia, Seychelles and Madagascar,” said the statement.
Speaking after the appointment, Ambassador Ndagiza expressed her commitment to strengthen the Mechanism to greater heights. She said her tenure as the Chairperson of APRM starts at a time when the APRM celebrated its 10th Anniversary and when there is great interest in the replication of the successes of the Mechanism from other Continents.
Speaking in Addis Ababa, the APRM Tanzania Executive Secretary, Rehema Twalib who attended the meeting, said apart from the appointment of Ambassador Ndagiza, some more countries joined the APRM and South Africa and Mozambique presented their progress reports.
Tanzania is among the 34 members out of 54 African Union member states who have voluntarily joined the Mechanism which seeks to foster accelerated development, adoption of democratic principles and cherishing principles of good governance among member states.
