Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke-Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE is currently hosting the African Peer Review (APR) Panel of Eminent Persons, in a move expected to strengthen economic governance, enhance transparency and accelerate socio-economic development.
The review process, which will run until November 18, will provide the country with an opportunity to assess its governance performance, identify areas for improvement and implement strategies that can boost economic management, attract investment and promote regional integration.
The country’s engagement with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) began when it acceded to the voluntary self-monitoring framework of the African Union (AU) during the 29th Session of the APR Forum of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2020.
Since then, Zimbabwe has demonstrated its commitment to transparency, accountability and sustainable development.
- Related stories: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/president-gives-african-peer-review-mechanism-the-nod-to-assess-zimbabwe/
- https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/zim-delegation-attends-kenyas-national-summit-on-county-peer-review-mechanism/
In March last year, Cabinet approved the establishment of the National Institutional Framework for the Zimbabwe APRM, with a focus on “economic governance and management”.
This aligns with the country’s long-term vision of becoming an empowered and prosperous upper middle-income society by 2030.
Speaking upon arrival in Harare yesterday, Ambassador Aly El-Hefny, a member of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons who is leading the APRM delegation to Zimbabwe, said political will at the highest level had paved the way for a successful review.
A distinguished Member of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons Ambassador Aly El-Hefny (right) shares a lighter moment with National Governance Council APRM Zimbabwe Ambassador James Manzou during media briefing at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare yesterday.- Picture: Charles Muchakagara.
“Everything is a matter of political will, and the political will was there at the highest level, the level of the Head of State and Government (President Mnangagwa). And I believe that we are in a position to engage Zimbabwe on that path of good governance,” he said.
“It was the opinion of the Government that this matter (economic governance) has to take number one priority. This is because the economy is behind everything, and especially behind every success in the governing and ruling over any country.”
He said the review would be beneficial for Zimbabwe and its people as it was an exercise for Africans by Africans.
The targeted review focuses on economic governance and management, a priority area given that the economy underpins all aspects of governance.
Ambassador El-Hefny said the APRM exercise would assess Zimbabwe’s preparedness for regional economic realities, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, and lay the groundwork for future reviews, including corporate governance.
He indicated that the country would soon be a beacon of excellence for other nations to emulate.
“It has been really professionally prepared to offer us the opportunity to go around in the provinces, to listen to the people, to interact with them, to see how they think about this and that. That would make, at the end of the day, a solid report which other countries will wish to emulate,” he said.
A distinguished Member of the APR Panel of Eminent Persons Ambassador Aly El-Hefny chats with National Governance Council APRM Zimbabwe Ambassador James Manzou (right) during media briefing at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare yesterday.
This year, he added, marks the 23rd anniversary of the APRM, which has since been joined by 45 countries.
“Some of them have made up to three national reports and are engaged in other targeted reviews, and I want to say that Zimbabwe is coming up and is going to provide a landmark entry into the world of governance,” he added.
Chairperson of Zimbabwe’s National Governing Council for the APRM, Ambassador James Manzou, said the country had been preparing for this moment since President Mnangagwa’s accession to the APRM in 2020.
“Since that time, we have been working under his guidance to establish national structures — the national focal point, the National Governing Council, the Secretariat and the Research Institute. These mechanisms are now in place,” he said.
The current exercise, he added, was the second stage of Zimbabwe’s APRM engagement, focusing on economic governance and management.
“This team that the Ambassador is leading is coming to undertake that review. We have put up a very good programme that will take him to all parts of the country, leaving no one and no place behind. At the end of this exercise, a report will be produced. That report is the President’s report, which he will table before his peers in Addis Ababa in February 2026,” he said.
During the review, the APRM delegation will conduct focus group discussions and engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including Government ministries, legislators, traditional leaders, the private sector, the academia, the media, youth organisations, associations of persons with disabilities, civil society, religious leaders and development partners.
Delegates will also visit selected areas across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces to assess the economic governance landscape first-hand.
Zimbabwe’s hosting of the APRM panel demonstrates its ongoing commitment to good governance, socio-economic development and regional integration, while providing an opportunity to share best practices with other African nations.
