From: Patrick A. Firempong, GNA Special Correspondent, Kigali.

Kigali, Feb.12, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor arrived in Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday for the first African Peer Review Forum (APRF) and the ninth Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) meeting scheduled for Kigali from February 13 - 14.

Mr Benard Makuza, Prime Minister of Rwanda met President Kufuor on arrival. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Foreign Minister and Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister for Regional Co-operation and NEPAD accompanied President Kufuor.

Dr Francis Appiah, Technical Adviser at the Ministry of Regional Co-operation and NEPAD briefing newsmen on the meetings said the Committee of Eminent Persons on the African Peer Review (APR) would hold a formal meeting in Kigali to consider the implementation of the African Peer Mechanism (APM) on Thursday.

He said the meeting would consider the guidelines each country had to follow to implement the APM that included political and democratic governance, economic governance, co-operate governance and socio-economic development.

Dr Appia said a questionnaire had already been sent to countries that had opted for the APM and the questionnaire would be discussed and used to assess each country.

Issues to be discussed would assess code of conduct of individual countries; consider the privileges and immunities as well as disclosures of information by the Country Review Teams (CRT).

Dr Appiah said the CRT was made up of the personnel, who undertook the actual review appointed by the APR Panel of Eminent Persons. He said the meeting would also consider the extent to which Africa could fund APR activities and also prepare agenda for HSGIC.

Dr Appiah said the formal inaugural meeting of the Heads of State and Government participating in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) would be held on Friday in Kigali.

Sixteen countries that had acceded to the APRM are Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Mauritius, Ethiopia and South Africa.

The rest are Rwanda, Mozambique, Nigeria, Algeria, Senegal, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Mali and Burkina Faso.

These countries have voluntarily chosen the APRM memorandum of understanding concerning the implementation of the NEPAD projects.