Accra, June 7, GNA-The Governing Council of the National African Peer Review Mechanism (NAPRM) has developed a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework to monitor the progress of implementation by all stakeholders in its activities. Rev. Professor. S.K. Adjepong, chairman, NAPRM announced this on Thursday in a speech read on his behalf at a workshop for Business and Professional Associations in Accra. Rev. Adjepong said during the review process, a number of issues of specific interests to the private sector came up including promoting an enabling environment, effective regulatory framework for economic activities and ensuring that corporations act as good corporate citizens with regard to human rights and promoting the adoption of codes of good business. "It is in keeping with this broad-based participation principal of the APRM that the Governing Council is organising this workshop for the association," he said.

Rev.Adjepong said the framework had been aligned to existing M&E systems to ensure sustainability and avoid duplication in the collection and processing of data. He said the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning had subsequently charged all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure that APRM activities reflected in their annual budgets. He said the APRM required an active broad based participation of all identified stakeholders to succeed adding, " The base document specifically highlights the active involvement of the private sector in the entire APRM process".

Rev. Adjepong said, "the APRM is a process and we must all do our best to sustain it."

Dr Francis Appiah, Executive Secretary, NAPRM-GC said the objectives of the M&E and APRM provided the Ghanaian citizen an assessment of how government policies and programs as well as the activities of the private sector and civil society are addressing recommendations raised in the National Program of Action. Mr. Samuel Cudjoe, Principal Program Officer, NAPRM-GC, said the Annual Progress Report is the result of extensive consultative process with stakeholders, MDAs, the private sector operators and all Ghanaians.

He said the report is aimed at obtaining feedback from government and citizens about the extent to which the implementations of the program is improving governance and socio-economic well-being of Ghanaians

" The Governing Council has shared Ghana's APRM experience at the African Governance Forum (AGFVI) and other countries both within and outside Africa," he said adding, "The two bodies will educate and sensitise their constituents on the APRM process and also become actively involved in monitoring the progress of implementation of the program of Action."

The Institute of Chartered Accountants, one of the groups who attended, appealed to government to train more accountants to help in good corporate governance practices. 07 June 07