At a time when Africa’s attempts at good governance are found wanting, Africa Private Sector Summit (APSS) has proposed a new pre-emptive approach for Africa’s governance with the proposal for an objective body established by the AU and the African Business Council (AfBC) to help assess good and responsible governance.
Since the beginning of the year, two events have conspired to remind the framers of the APSS White Paper why it is a critical document. First is the instability and insecurity of coups that has bedeviled the West African and Sahel sub-regions. The second is the UNDP-supported AU Conference on Unconstitutional Change in Government, which subject matter was the theme of the next edition of APRM’S flagship “Africa Governance Report ”.
For APSS, it should not stop there, but represent an opportunity for the AU to consider a continental award scheme that African leaders would be encouraged to compete for as an incentive tool for advancing good and responsible governance on the continent.
APSS’ proposal comes at a time when the much-touted Mo Ibrahim Award – a more breathtaking enterprise at US5 million than even the Nobel Peace Prize at US 1.3 million – has apparently run out of steam as it has, since 2007 when instituted, been unable to serve as an effective incentive for change. Conceivably, even with its challenges, it can serve as a complementary tool for the African Governance landscape in a way that will spur positive change.
The change that Africa needs is one that would enable the implementation of the RECS and AfCFTA protocols, as well as the flagship Agenda 2063.
Central to APSS’ argument is the point that the private sector should play a more interventionist role in Africa’s developmental process, as advancing good governance and democracy has been identified as an essential pillar for advancing the APSS agenda titled “Strategic Initiatives for the Africa We Want”.
The APSS is calling upon the AU to enlarge the scope of its operations to assess and award good governance and developmental policies by political aspirants – rather than seeking corrective measures after candidates have been elected.
Inherent in the proposal is for a commitment by aspirants at the Political Party level to commit to compete, which should be contractually-enshrined in the manifestos of Political parties.
The aspirants should commit to the public good, and political stability, failing which they must be prepared to face prosecution.
While the APSS appreciates the good work the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) has played in promoting good governance on the Continent for almost two decades, the lacuna of the private sector in governance conversations signals a necessity to innovate around good governance in a way that the private sector, as major stakeholders in society, become involved in a preemptive process.
For more information, you can find the full document on the APSS website.
About APSS
APSS is a think-tank seeking to promote and support strong partnerships between academia, chambers of commerce, business associations at the national and regional levels, and at the AU through the Africa Business Council (AfBC).
