The Minister of the Republic of The Gambia Hon. Dawda Jallow yesterday represented the Vice President at the 35th Session of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Forum of Heads of State and Government held in Addis Ababa.
Speaking on behalf of the Vice President, the Minister delivered The Gambia’s intervention on the report of the Chairperson of the APR Focal Point Committee. He reaffirmed The Gambia’s unwavering commitment to the APRM process, describing it as one of Africa’s most credible and innovative home-grown governance instruments.
The Minister underscored the APRM’s importance in strengthening democracy, promoting transparency, and enhancing accountability across the continent. He noted that through its voluntary self-assessment and peer review processes, the Mechanism has enabled Member States to identify structural gaps, policy weaknesses, and institutional constraints, while also sharing African-led best practices.
Addressing The Gambia’s engagement with the APRM, the Minister acknowledged that although the country is a member of the Mechanism, it is yet to undertake a targeted review as proposed by the APRM Secretariat. He explained that this has been due to ongoing efforts to establish the necessary legal and institutional frameworks to ensure a credible and nationally owned review process.
He assured the Forum that The Gambia remains fully committed to the APRM and welcomed the Secretariat’s proposal to conduct a targeted review in the country. The Minister further stated that The Gambia stands ready to collaborate closely with the Secretariat to determine an appropriate thematic focus, guided by mutually agreed instruments and frameworks.
He emphasised that targeted reviews are strategic tools for strengthening national ownership of reforms, enhancing transparency, and ensuring accountability to citizens.
The Minister was accompanied by Ms. Reneta Rohey Jack the Gambian Councillor at the Gambian Embassy in Addis Ababa.
The 35th Session of the APRM Forum brought together African leaders to review progress in governance and reinforce collective efforts toward building resilient, accountable, and people-centred governance systems across the continent.
About the Author
