(DAILY MAIL) State wants people-driven APRM

State wants people-driven APRM
By AMOS CHANDA

MINISTER of Justice, George Kunda, says Zambia’s African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process should move away from the corridors of the elite in society to the doorsteps of ordinary citizens. Mr Kunda said for the process to succeed, it should be wholly-owned by the people at the grassroots. He was speaking at the opening of the APRM brainstorming session in Zambia at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka yesterday.

“This means people should be fully involved and consulted at all stages of the process,” Mr Kunda said.

“There should be a conscious effort to move the process away from the corridors of the elite to the doorstep of the ordinary citizens.”

He said the APRM was designed to provide a platform to identify strengths and weaknesses in Zambia’s governance systems.

Mr Kunda said Government was committed to the successful implementation of the APRM process and urged participants at the session to develop initiatives that would be implemented country-wide.

Zambia is one of the 27 countries that has acceded to the APRM.

President Mwanawasa signed onto the process on January 22, 2006 during a ceremony that was held on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Khartoum, Sudan.

Following the accession, the Minister of Justice, who is the APRM national focal point person, launched the process on July 8, 2007 after Cabinet approval.

Mr Kunda said the brainstorming session was an important exercise that should generate a common national purpose that would guide the APRM process.

“It is, therefore, important that the outcome of this session should raise serious recommendations, especially in view of the vast experienced human resource represented here,” he said.

Mr Kunda said it was important that recommendations were made on a broad parameter upon which the APRM terms of reference for the national governing council would be based.

He said Zambia should not suffer the same problems other countries had experienced where institutional structures did not achieve the set objectives.

Mr Kunda said when that occurred, the credibility and integrity of the process suffered.

He said the core of the process was to capture the voices and concerns of ordinary citizens.

The brainstorming session, which ends tomorrow, is presided over by former National Economic Advisory Council chairperson, Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika.