Koforidua, May 25, GNA - Mr. Yaw Barimah, Eastern Regional Minister has announced the Eastern Region's intentions to champion the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in the country.

The Minister gave the notice when members of the African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (APRM-GC) led by Rev. Prof. Samuel K. Adjepong, paid a courtesy call on him at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.

Explaining the motive behind the move, the Minister explained that he believed democracy and good governance was the key to the country's development and that the APRM was a most appropriate tool to deepen and entrench democracy and development in the country. He also intimated that he was drawing inspiration from Ghana's role in championing the APRM process on the African continent to champion the cause of APRM from the Eastern region of Ghana, with the same commitment and drive shown at the national level. Mr. Barimah, who later opened a one-day trainer-of -trainers workshop for APRM District Oversight Committee members and National Commission For Civic Education NCCE Staff, from all the 16 districts of the region, said he was glad that Ghana is the first country to have gone through the APRM process successfully. It was to prepare them to play a leading role in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of APRM programmes of action.

He said the APRM process, which allowed countries voluntarily to 'open themselves up' and be examined within a formal structure according to NEPAD guidelines is to ensure that Africa stayed focused on its development agenda.

He confirmed that, Ghana's performance in the APRM thematic areas of democracy and Good Political Governance, Economic Governance and Management

Corporate Governance and Socio-economic Development have been assessed and critiqued according to the guidelines.

The Minister reminded participants of the need to continually remind themselves that the APRM is a process and not an event. He therefore called on all the players in the process to continue to lend their support in the implementation of the programmes of action lined up for implementation.

He affirmed Government commitment to the process describing it as "absolutely unquestionable." He challenged participants to enlist the support of ordinary people in society to ensure that the good recommendations in the APRM Programme of action are translated into reality.

Rev. Prof. S.K Adjepong, Chairman of the Governing Council confirmed that the APRM had advanced from the reporting stage to Monitoring and Evaluation of APRM programmes of action that have been incorporated into Ghana's Growth and Poverty Strategy (GPRSII). The Chairman announced plans to enlist the support of district assemblies to get involved in the monitoring and evaluation of the process.

Introducing participants to the monitoring and evaluation process, the Executive Secretary of the APRM-GC, Dr. Francis Appiah, cautioned participants involved in the Monitoring process to go about it professionally, when collecting data at the grassroots to ensure the independence and integrity of the process.

He said the data so collected will be validated internally at the country level and by an external panel of experts and any inconsistencies can impair the integrity and credibility of the process. He reminded participants that each district had its own local specific issues and the monitoring process was to identify these needs and adequately satisfy them.

Dr. Appiah informed participants that the Ministry of Finance was tracking the budgetary allocation and actual spending on the implementation of the programme of action; describing it as a demonstration of government commitment not to leave the implementation of the POAs to gather dust on the shelves. 25 May 07