To Strengthen Governance Data And Accountability In Africa
PHOTO: APRM and Afrobarometer CEOs renew partnership
Afrobarometer and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) have renewed their partnership with a three-year memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening collaboration on governance data, monitoring, and evidence-based policy making across Africa.
APRM CEO Amb. Marie-Antoinette Rose-Quatre and Afrobarometer CEO Joseph Asunka signed the agreement on the sidelines of the APRM’s Third Africa High-Level Forum on South-South and Triangular Cooperation last week in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. A wide range of stakeholders routinely use Afrobarometer data in policy planning, programme development and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a specialised agency of the African Union that supports good governance through voluntary assessments, peer learning, and national reform programmes aligned with Africa’s development goals.
Over the years, Afrobarometer data have served as a valuable resource for several APRM publications, including Africa Governance Report 2023: Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa. In addition, the APRM drew on Afrobarometer’s expertise in developing the methodology and tools for its African Governance Atlas. Through the Data for Governance Alliance project, led by Afrobarometer, the two institutions have also collaborated on several webinars and events.
The renewed partnership aims to improve the availability and use of citizen-centred data by aligning Afrobarometer’s public opinion research with APRM governance-monitoring tools such as the Africa Governance Index and National Programmes of Action. The two institutions will also work together to strengthen data systems, build capacity, and promote the inclusion of youth and gender-focused governance indicators.
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to putting citizens at the heart of governance,” said Asunka. “By aligning our data systems and sharing expertise, we can ensure that the voices of ordinary citizens are not only heard but that they inform and enhance responsive and accountable leadership and also contribute to tracking progress towards the AU Agenda 2063 targets.”
“We’ve been working very closely with Afrobarometer for a while now because the work that APRM does is evidence-based,” Rose-Quartre added. “This MoU reflects a level of commitment to collaborate with each other and to really enrich our work on the ground and in the member states.”
About Afrobarometer
Afrobarometer (AB) is a trusted source of high-quality data and analysis on what Africans are thinking. With an unmatched track record of 400,000+ interviews in 42 countries, representing the views of more than three-fourths of the African population, AB is leading the charge to bridge the continent’s data gap. AB data inform many global indices, such as the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer, and the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators. The data are also used for country risk analyses and by credit rating and forecasting agencies such as the Economist Intelligence Unit. All AB data sets are publicly available on the AB website and may be analysed free of charge using AB’s online data analysis tool.
About APRM
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was launched in 2003 by the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) as a voluntary, self-monitoring mechanism for African Union member states.
It serves as a uniquely African-owned and African-led platform for self-assessment, peer learning, and experience sharing, with the overarching goal of promoting democratic governance, economic growth, sustainable development, and deeper regional and continental economic integration.