UNECA, UNDP to train Tanzanian officials on APRM implementation
By Hassan Abbas – The United Nations’ Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) have jointly sponsored a two days training for Tanzanian officials on the implementation of APRM governance reports in Dar es Salaam starting on this Tuesday, 25 September, 2012.
APRM-the African Peer Review Mechanism, is a program of the African Union (AU) that seeks to foster political, social and economic prosperity of the member states through participation of the people in assessing their countries governance status.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam today, the head of the APRM Unit at UNECA, Dr. Kojo Busia told the press that the workshop that will invite key planning officers from both the Union and Zanzibar governments and some representatives of the civil society will look on how to harmonize the APRM Tanzania programme of action (NPoA) with other government plans.
“This workshop presents a unique opportunity to Tanzania stakeholders with information and best practices that could form the core process for harmonizing the APRM -NPoAs with pre-existing national plans within the context of a common medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF).
“It also is a useful forum for experts from APRM participating countries to exchange views on the key challenges affecting the process and suggest concrete tools and ways to make the APRM-NPoA a credible and an operational document for the national socio-economic development of our countries,” he said.
Speaking in the event, the Coordinator of the APRM review process for Tanzania, Dr. Rachel Mukamunana from APRM Continental Secretariat in South Africa, said Tanzania has reached a significant stage in the APRM process and its report, the Country Review Report is being finalized.
On her part the APRM Tanzania Executive Secretary, Rehema Twalib thanked UNECA and UNDP for their everlasting contributions to see to it that Africa and Tanzania realize their governance improvement goals as per the APRM objectives.
“The workshop on harmonization of the APRM Programme of Action with national planning frameworks in our country comes at a very crucial moment in the APRM process when Tanzania and many other African governments are seriously pondering on how to effectively implement the very good ideas and plans they have innovatively initiated, such as the African Peer Review Mechanism,” she said.
She added that since Tanzania has completed the initial stages of governance review under the APRM, the final report will be submitted in October, 2012 ready for the country to start working on the stakeholders’ opinions.
“Finally the consolidated report will in January, 2013, be submitted to the AU meetings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete. The encounter between H.E. President Kikwete and his African peers in Addis Ababa will then usher for Tanzania a new journey of implementing the views of the people and experts contained it its Country Review Report,” she added.
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a mutually agreed governance assessment program of the African Union (AU) and was formerly launched in 2003. Tanzania acceded to the Mechanism in 2004; Tanzanian Parliament ratified for the domestication of the process in Tanzania in its 1st February, 2005 session.
As African governments are required to take the lead in funding the process, for coordination and budgetary purposes, APRM Tanzania was streamlined as one of the programs of the government of the United Republic of Tanzania and placed under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. To date, PRM enjoys an increasing number of its membership which is currently 34 out of 54 African countries.
