Mbete appointed to African Peer Review Mechanism panel

Former deputy president Baleka Mbete has been appointed to the African Union’s African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Panel of Eminent Persons, the presidency said on Sunday.

She was unanimously appointed by the African Peer Review Forum, on the margins of the African Union meeting currently under way in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The APRM is a unique Africa-initiated instrument that undertakes periodic peer reviews of participating African countries to strengthen and improve political, social and economic governance.

“The APRM is important because it encourages African nation states to not only make undertakings about good governance, but to work hard to make this pledge a reality. Given her experience and expertise, former deputy president Mbete will add a lot of value to this august body,” President Jacob Zuma was quoted as saying in a statement.

Mbete also served as a speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly.—Sapa