Wa, July 13, GNA - One of the main objectives of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is to wean Africa's ruling politicians of their decades old practice of bad governance that had resulted in political and economic under-development of the continent. To this end, four main goals had been spelt out under the African Peer Review process.

These were Democracy, Good Political Governance, Transparency and the Rule of Law.

Dr Francis Appiah, Executive Secretary of the National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (NAPRM-GC) made these known at Wa in the Upper West Region.

Dr Appiah was speaking at the first in a series of regional APRM sensitisation, education and ownership creation fora at Wa on Tuesday. He noted that for decades, African leaders had not been accountable to their people, with some of them behaving as though they were monarchs.

The about 60 participants drawn from civil society groups would be expected to make some inputs into the APRM as part of NAPRM-GC's bottom up review of the process.

Other speakers at the forum included four of the governing council members of the NAPRM.

They were the Rev. Professor S.K. Adjepong, Chairman of the Governing Council, Mr. Nutifafa Kuenyehia, Ms. Gloria Ofori Boadu, and the Rt. Rev. Paul Bemile, Catholic Bishop of Wa who chaired the function.

Dr Appiah also announced that the second West African common currency, the ECO would come into being in July next year. In a speech read on his behalf, the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Sahanun Mogtari said poor leadership resulting from military adventurism, one party rule, dictatorships, centrally run economies and corrupt practices could not be discounted as contributory factors for many of the crisis Africa now found itself in today. He said: "We are informed that the APRM is a monitoring and control device that sets bench marks, standards and indicators for African leaders in their quest to reduce poverty and improve the living conditions of their peoples", adding that, the holding of the forum in the region underscored the democratic and participatory character of the APRM.