By Akosua Frema Frempong and Faustina Siaw
The Chairman of the Governing Council of the National African Peer Review Mechanism (NAPRM), Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante has advised the government to properly resource state institutions such as the National Commission for Civic Education, NCCE and African Peer Review Mechanism Secretariat to enable them to live up to their mandate.
He was speaking at a capacity-building workshop in Kumasi for the District Oversight Committees, on the important role of the African Peer Review Mechanism in facilitating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The African Peer Review Mechanism stands as a testament to the commitment of African nations towards self-improvement and accountability. Rooted in the principles of democracy, governance, corporate governance and socio-economic development, the African Peer Review Mechanism, APRM serves as a vital tool for fostering growth and stability across the continent.
Ghana’s journey within the APRM framework has been marked by significant strides since its initial review in 2006. Efforts of the Governing Council of the National APRM have been instrumental in promoting good governance and facilitating positive change within the nation contributing to peace, growth, stability, and poverty reduction.
It is for this reason that it is embarking on a targeted review focused on corporate governance and its role in driving the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The purpose of the capacity-building workshop in Kumasi was to empower the District Oversight Committees to gain an appreciation of corporate governance practices that will make intra-African trade under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area easier for small businesses.
The Chairman of the Governing Council of the National APRM, Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante commended the tireless efforts of the NCCE in the area of partnership and commitment to ensure that information on the APRM is well disseminated.
“NAPRM and NCCE and various government institutions that are there to help promote good governance in the country all of them tend to suffer a lot particularly the NCCE. I would want to say to the government to provide the much-needed resources to NCCE because they have their offices in all places and we link up with them and work together so if they are resourced, institutions like ours will gain from it. It is not only the NCCE that needs to be resourced. The APRM should be resourced so that they will be able to carry on with their function” Most Rev.Prof Asante explained.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the National APRM, Mrs. Winniefred Asare indicated that Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprises cannot benefit from the Africa Continental Free Trade Area hence the need to revitalize the District Oversight Committees to gain an appreciation of corporate governance practices that will make intra-African trade easier for such businesses to take advantage of the three-point-four million Dollars market that has been created for them.
‘’After an assessment that the country has conducted in 2023, we realized that our MSME do not have the corporate governance capacity to benefit from the AfCFTA. But we are trying to build their knowledge on how they can on their own come up to speed and be able to benefit from the AfCFTA. So basically we are trying to revitalize the DDOCsto be able to do this dissemination on their behalf” Mrs Asare disclosed.
The President of the Governing Council of the Institute of Directors-Ghana, Rev. Mrs. Angela Carmen Appiah described micro, small and medium enterprises as the engine of growth for Ghana’s economy hence the need to walk them through good governance to attract investors through the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“For corporate governance the ATTIRE that we need to wear, I have given it the acronym, ATTIRE- A Accountability, T- Transparency, T-Truthfulness, I-Intergrity, R-Responsibility, E-Efficiency or Effectiveness The whole idea is that if you use these as a tool, you will be able to conduct business as a growing country, you can manage risk better, you will budget better, you will know how to keep records, you will be conscious of the statutory obligations, you will play your roles the way you should so that when you have investors they will use it as a checklist” She noted.
The meeting in Kumasi is the third in a series organized for District Oversight Committees to revitalize them to work on behalf of the National APRM at the local level.
