Between 2004 and 2016, as part of its efforts to enhance democratic and accountable governance in Africa, EISA's APRM unit engaged in national APRM processes.
The EISA partnered with several local CSOs across the continent including: the Uganda National NGO Forum (UNNGOF) in Uganda, the Tanzania Citizens' Information Bureau in Tanzania, the Mauritius Council of Social Services in Mauritius, the Non-State Actors Coalition (NSAC) in Ethiopia, and Common Cause Zambia, as well as engaging with various governance stakeholders in Kenya, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique and Malawi.
The final activities of the Programme focused on 'passing the baton' from the EISA APRM Programme to country partner organisations, as well as looking forward at strategies these groups could employ in taking the APRM further in these respective counties.
The major focus was to capacitate and empower civil society to engage with national governments and the official APRM structures on a continuous and mutually-beneficial basis. The programme emphasized constructive engagement between the three major stakeholders in national APRM processes: government, private enterprise and civil society.
This was achieved through programme activities such as information dissemination, consultancy work, publications and the development of an APRM Toolkit designed to assist interested stakeholders in understanding and engaging in the APRM process. Research under the Programme has also led to the publication of a book, Peering the Peers: Civil Society and the African Peer Review Mechanism, a volume of essays from leading civil society and governance experts in Africa examines the critical role of civil society in the APRM.
The Programme was funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
