🔴 LIVE TODAY | AfCRA OFFICIAL LAUNCH Join us today at 5:00 PM Mauritius time for the historic launch of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA). 🌍🇲🇺 ▶️ Watch LIVE on YouTube⁠: Kindly see the youtube link youtube.com/live/P1yIzj9NaIY #AfCRA

African Union Advances De-Risking Africa Agenda to Unlock Capital for Development On the margins of the@AfCRA_Official launch in Mauritius, H.E. @ymahmoudali , Chairperson of the @_AfricanUnion , chaired a high-level roundtable on the AU’s De-Risking Africa Agenda. The meeting brought together the APRM, @_AfricanUnion , @ECA_OFFICIAL, @UNOSAA1 @afreximbank @AfDB_Group and @AAMFI_Sec to advance a coordinated approach to addressing Africa’s risk premium and improving access to development finance. The discussions secured high-level support for the initiative and identified priority areas for collaboration, including governance, debt management, data quality and institutional capacity. Read more: aprm.au.int/en/news/press-re… #APRM #DeRiskingAfrica #AfCRA #Agenda2063

What is the African Governance Report (AGR) 2027 all about? Under the theme “Youth in Governance: From Promise to Prosperity,” the fifth edition of the AGR will take a closer look at how young people are included in governance and decision-making across African Union Member States. The report aims to assess the implementation of youth policies, identify institutional, financial and political barriers holding young people back, and highlight youth-led innovations and contributions to governance. The goal is to provide practical recommendations that strengthen youth participation and help Africa harness the potential of its young population in line with Agenda 2063. Through Country Institutional Consultations, including the ongoing engagements in Rwanda, the APRM is gathering experiences and insights from national stakeholders to inform the report. #APRM #AGR2027 #YouthInGovernance #Agenda2063

Ms Clementine Nyinawumuntu gave an overview of Rwanda’s engagement with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) during the African Governance Report (AGR) 2027 Country Institutional Consultations in Kigali. Her presentation highlighted the role of national governance processes in strengthening institutional accountability, promoting peer learning and advancing governance reforms, providing important context for Rwanda’s contribution to the AGR 2027. #AGR2027 #APRM #Rwanda

At the Africa Governance Report (AGR) 2027 Country Institutional Consultations in Kigali, Rwanda, Ms @Nonku_Masoek presented the AGR's methodological tools and approaches, highlighting the analytical framework, stakeholder engagement processes and evidence-based assessment methods underpinning the report. The presentation underscored the importance of inclusive consultations, institutional perspectives and country-specific evidence in shaping Africa's governance analysis and policy recommendations. #AGR2027 #Rwanda

Opening the APRM Country Institutional Consultation for the African Governance Report (AGR) 2027 in Rwanda, Dr Félicien Usengumukiza, Deputy CEO of the Rwanda @GovernanceRw Board, highlighted the opportunities and governance challenges that come with Africa’s growing youth population. He stressed the need to move beyond seeing young people as the promise of tomorrow, but to empower them to become job creators, drivers of economic growth and leaders in governance institutions. Drawing from Rwanda’s experience, he emphasised the importance of putting in place strong policies, legal frameworks and institutions that support youth empowerment and create real opportunities for young people to actively contribute to governance and economic development. #APRM #AGR2027 #YouthInGovernance #Rwanda

The APRM’s Country Institutional Consultation in Rwanda for the African Governance Report (AGR) 2027 opened with an overview of the report’s objectives and the APRM’s mandate. Dr @MNkhalamba, Director of the Governance and Specialised Reporting Directorate, highlighted Rwanda’s governance and economic transformation and the importance of empowering young people to realise Africa’s demographic dividend.

After returning to Nairobi, the targeted review on youth issues in Kenya met with Ms. Gloria Wawira, CEO of the National Youth Council (NYC), a state agency established by an act of parliament. Ms. Wawira explained to the review mission that her organization has supported the conduct of smooth elections by delivering voter civic education and building an electronic platform to allow for remote voter registration. In terms of opportunities, the NYC collaborates with the private sector -banks and big tech firms such as Google- as well as inter-governmental organizations such as the UNDP to provide youth with AI skills and apprenticeships in companies. According to Ms. Wawira, rebuilding the compact with youth will require tackling three urgent issues: unemployment, the cost of living crisis which is a global phenomenon and the political disconnect with Members of Parliament. As regards the first two issues, she cited the Kazi Majuu program which affords Kenyans the opportunity to work abroad, efforts to expand the public service internship program, the bill proposing the reduction of VAT from 16 to 8% which was signed into law recently and the disbursement of hustler funds worth billions of Kenyan shillings.

The targeted review mission on youth issues in Kenya carried out further consultations in Nakuru and Murang’a counties. It met with the County Commissioners in these counties who pointed out training opportunities as well as dedicated meetings with the youth. Also, the success of the Nyota, Kazi Majuu -labor placement in foreign countries- and public service internship programs were noted. While in Murang’a country, the mission was fortunate to pay a courtesy call on H.E Dr. Irungu Kang’ata who shed light on the various initiatives he is championing on behalf of the 1.1 million inhabitants in his county including but not limited to bursaries, generous medical cover for treatment abroad and school feeding. In focus group discussions with the youth, a number of challenges were highlighted such as nepotism, inadequate access to the Internet, limited mental health financing and synthetic drug use. The importance of civic education, inclusivity and the offer of alternatives to harmful activities were underscored to ensure the welfare and development of the youth. Recommendations made by these stakeholders will feature in the final targeted review report which will be tabled at the 36th summit of the APR Forum of Heads of State and Government in January 2027.

Ahead of the Country Institutional Consultation Workshop for the African Governance Report (AGR) 2027 in Rwanda, the APRM team met with the Rwanda Governance Board (@GovernanceRw ) as part of ongoing consultations with key national stakeholders. Under the theme “Youth in Governance: From Promise to Prosperity,” the #AGR27 aims to critically assess the state of youth mainstreaming in governance across @_AfricanUnion Member States, identifying progress, existing gaps and opportunities to strengthen meaningful youth participation in governance and decision-making processes. #APRM #AGR2027 #YouthInGovernance

SAVE THE DATE | APRM Joint Structures Retreat The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) will convene its Joint Structures Retreat from 3–4 December 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Under the theme “A Stronger APRM for Greater Impact in Addressing Africa’s Governance Bottlenecks,” the retreat will provide an opportunity to strengthen collaboration, enhance coordination and advance the APRM’s governance mandate across the continent. More details to follow.

The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), in collaboration with the @AGA_Platform of the @_AfricanUnion , is developing the fifth edition of the Africa Governance Report (AGR27), under the theme “Youth in Governance: From Promise to Prosperity.” With over 60% of Africa’s population under the age of 25, young people are central to the continent’s governance transformation and sustainable development. AGR27 will examine how Africa can harness its demographic dividend by strengthening youth participation, leadership, human capital development and technological innovation. The Report will focus on three key areas: Youth and Human Capital Development – Strengthening skills, capabilities and opportunities for young Africans. Youth Leadership in the Public and Private Sectors – Promoting meaningful youth participation, representation and leadership in governance and decision-making. Youth in Technological Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and E-Governance – Advancing inclusive digital transformation and youth-driven innovation. The development of AGR27 also marks the 20th anniversary of the African Youth Charter, reinforcing the African Union’s commitment to youth empowerment and inclusive governance. Through evidence-based analysis and policy recommendations, AGR27 aims to contribute to unlocking the potential of Africa’s young population as a driving force for good governance, innovation and shared prosperity. #AGR27 #YouthInGovernance #APRM #Agenda2063 #AfricanUnion

The Interim Chief Executive Officer of the African Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) paid a courtesy visit to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) offices following the historic launch of AfCRA in Mauritius on 7 October 2026. The engagement focused on the importance of securing sustainable funding for AfCRA while safeguarding the Agency’s independence, credibility and transparency in its operations. During the visit, the AfCRA CEO presented the APRM with a commemorative memento in appreciation of the leadership, dedication and hard work of the APRM team that contributed to the successful launch of the Agency.

How can African governments build civil services that are agile, accountable and ready to deliver on Agenda 2063? That was the question on the table in Paris this week. On the margins of the 2026 OECD Global Forum on Building Trust & Reinforcing Democracy, the APRM Continental Secretariat joined the Africa Governance Platform High-level Policy Dialogue on government efficiency and effectiveness in Africa and the MENA region. Around the table: senior officials from Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Kenya, European counterparts and African Union representatives, all taking stock of civil service and public sector reforms. Speaking for the APRM, Ms Hamouda, Senior Continental Governance Officer, pointed to four challenges many countries share:
1️⃣ Weak policy integration and limited understanding of civil servants' skills and needs
2️⃣ Parliaments not yet playing a strong enough role in holding the executive to account for service delivery
3️⃣ Corruption practices, the digital divide and transparency measures 
4️⃣ The need for stronger leadership capacity She also highlighted more than four years of APRM–OECD cooperation, including work on policy coherence for sustainable development and the State-Owned Enterprises Network. This also goes hand in hand with supporting OECD-Africa knowledge sharing and technical exchange dialogues at different multilateral platforms including the High-Level Political Forum on SDGs progress annually. What's next? Future collaboration is expected to cover e-governance, gender equality, access to justice and the rule of law, resilience, institution building and Economic governance in APRM member countries. #APRM #OECD #Agenda2063 #Governance #PublicService #EGovernance #GenderEquality #RuleOfLaw #Resilience #Multilateralism

The targeted review mission on youth issues in Kenya pursued its engagements in Kakamega and Uasin Gishu counties where it met County Commissioners prior to discussing with youth issues which affect their socio-economic welfare. The youth which the team interacted with indicated the lack of adequate healthcare, the limited opportunities for persons living with disabilities, the lack of mentorship centers and capital to start businesses. With two more sets of regional consultations before its return to Nairobi, the mission is making progress on collecting data to inform the development of a credible and solution-oriented report for the benefit of Kenyan youth.

At the start of the second week of its targeted review consultations with Kenyan youth, the APRM team led by the lead Panel member for Kenya, H.E Dr. Thelma Awori, paid courtesy calls on the Kisumu County Governor, H.E Prof Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, as well as the County Commissioner, Mr. Mohamed R. Mwabudzo. The mission learned that efforts were made to take advantage of the blue economy -with Lake Victoria being one of Kisumu’s assets- and expand employment opportunities to keep youth away from harmful practices. An agricultural training college and the Kenya School of Agriculture have been used to train and prepare youth for the job market. The governor’s office has put emphasis on early childhood education to ensure holistic youth upbringing in the majority of villages across the county. Upon graduation from TVET programs, many youth go on to start businesses to support themselves and contribute to the development of their county.

This week in Paris, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) participated in the 2026 OECD Global Forum on Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy, bringing together more than 300 experts and policymakers from Europe and beyond to explore how governments can strengthen trust with citizens, improve Government’s operational agility, and enhance the skills of public servants. During the panel discussion on « Connecting Citizen Voices to Meaningful Government Action,”Ms Sara Hamouda, Senior Continental Governance Officer, highlighted the role of the APRM Continental Secretariat and national structures in bringing citizens closer to decision-making. She underscored the importance of in-depth governance assessment reviews and continental platforms that create opportunities for civil servants, youth, and civil society to contribute to policy discussions and decisions. These include the Continental Agenda 2063 Platform, Youth Symposium, and South-South and Triangular Cooperation Forum. Ms Hamouda also emphasized the need to promote free access to information, noting that approximately 55% of Africans enjoy this right across 29 countries. She further stressed the importance of moving beyond sharing best practices towards benchmarking to ensure that governance reforms are implemented within appropriate timeframes. Achieving these objectives requires sustained political will and a shift in leadership mindsets to respond effectively to Africa’s evolving realities. #APRM #OECDGlobalForum #TrustAndDemocracy #GoodGovernance #CitizenEngagement #Agenda2063 #PublicSectorReform