Details of a mechanism to compel African states to practice good governance would still take some time to be finalised, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad indicated on Monday.
He said the launch of the African Union (AU) next month was likely to see at most the adoption of the general principles of such a peer review mechanism.
”I don’t think the very detailed elements will be finalised at the next summit,” he told reporters in Pretoria.
”If we can get acceptance of the general principles, it will take us a long way.”
The envisaged review system is a crucial element of the African revival plan, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. The AU, to be formally established in Durban on July 8, replaces the Organisation for African Unity.
Pahad said the peer review mechanism would be among the issues to be discussed by the Nepad implementation committee in Rome on Tuesday.
The committee, which includes representatives from 15 African countries, is meeting to finalise Nepad proposals to be put to the G8 summit in Canada later this month.
Pahad said the committee was expected to also examine ways to involve African societies in Nepad.
”There has not been sufficient interaction between the various sectors of the private civil society and government structures,” he said.
”We hope it will now be sorted out. This implementation summit is going to look at what other special action we must take.”
Nepad could not remain a government programme.
”Without government-private sector partnership, much of the programme cannot succeed,” Pahad said. – Sapa