| Measuring good governance – AGR II consultations in progress Addis Ababa, 18 April 2007 - The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has embarked on a series of national workshops to discuss the methodology and main objectives of the second edition of the African Governance Report (AGR II). AGR is a biannual publication, which assesses and monitors progress towards good governance in African countries. AGR 1 entitled “ Striving for good governance in Africa” was published in 2005 and covered a survey of 27 countries using instruments developed by ECA to assess the perception on governance by households and experts at the country level. The ground-breaking survey and empirical findings and analysis enriched the dialogue during the 2005 Fourth African Development Forum (ADFIV), whose main theme was Governance for a Progressing Africa. ADF IV placed emphasis on the need to “support and strengthen the "capable state"- one with transparent, accountable political and economic systems, and efficient public institutions providing an enabling environment for the private sector and civil society to play their respective roles in national efforts.” AGR II will cover 40 countries: an update on the first 27 in AGR1 and 12 new ones, including Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Togo and Tunisia. The entire African Governance Report process is led and managed by ECA's Governance and Public Administration Division (GPAD). GPAD identified national research institutions that will spearhead the research in the 12 new countries and conducted appropriate training to move the research forward. The research will be subject to peer review before being published later in the year. Given the nature of the subject matter, the workshops have already attracted a lot of interest, extensive media coverage and high-level participation. In Cape Verde, for example, the President of the National General Assembly addressed the opening, while in Congo, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice and Human Rights were in attendance. Workshops have so far been held in Cape Verde (February 22), Djibouti (February 25), Congo Brazzaville (February 28) Togo (February 29) and Madagascar (March 12). Tunisia and Seychelles are scheduled to launch the project at the end of April. GPAD's main goal is to improve governance and development management to enhance national capacity and capability in ECA's member States. It also focuses on support for the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM ) process. Ends For more on GPAD's work programe: http://www.uneca.org/gpad
|
| |