South Africa and Ghana will be the first African countries to be scrutinised under the New Partnership for Africa's Development's peer review mechanism, SABC news reported on Friday.

It said seven eminent people who had been elected to drive the process were meeting in Cape Town to finalise the programme which was expected to start before the end of the year.

Fifteen of the 53 African Union members have so far volunteered to be reviewed. They are South Africa, Algeria, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Mali, Cameroon, Gabon, Burkina Faso and Senegal.

The peer review mechanism is voluntary process to foster good political and economic governance that will lead to stability, high economic growth and sustainable development.

By agreeing to be reviewed, South Africa and Ghana will open their political and financial books to the panel for scrutiny.

The group includes former SA Reserve Bank governor Chris Stals and the wife of former president Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel.