The African Union (AU) member states who voluntarily acceded to the continent’s self-monitoring mechanism-the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) expanded its membership to 45th participating state at the 35th APRM Forum of Heads of State and Government held at the AU’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia recently.
This follows the accession of the Federal Republic of Somalia which became the 45th APRM participating state, further consolidating the mechanism’s continental reach and Africa’s collective commitment to governance excellence.
The accession was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the APRM, represented by Chief Executive Officer, Marie-Antoinette Rose-Quatre, and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
In his accession statement, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud underlined that his government’s decision to join the APRM reflects “our unwavering commitment to democratic governance, institutional accountability, and inclusive national development.”
The President further affirmed that Somalia accedes to the Mechanism “in the spirit of transparency, peer learning, and collective African progress,” emphasising that sustainable peace and state-building are strengthened through “self-assessment, constructive dialogue, and shared continental responsibility.”
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, Marie-Antoinette Rose-Quatre congratulated Somalia for taking “this crucial step to join its peers in the Mechanism,” noting that the APRM provides a strong platform for addressing governance challenges across its six thematic areas which includes democracy and political governance; economic governance and management; corporate governance; socio-economic development; state resilience to shocks and disasters; and e-governance.
The CEO underscored that many governance challenges are shared across the continent and that the APRM provides a structured framework for peer learning and the promotion of best practices.
Referring to Somalia’s 9th National Development Plan (NDP), she welcomed its focus on results-driven interventions and highlighted its alignment with the APRM Strategic Plan 2025–2028, which prioritises “Implementation of the APRM Mandate with Impact.”
She further reaffirmed the APRM’s readiness to work closely with Somalia to deliver tangible and measurable results.
Somalia’s accession marks an important milestone in its governance reform trajectory and demonstrates its confidence in the APRM as Africa’s premier voluntary self-assessment and peer review mechanism.
