There is something decidedly new about Africa. After stagnating for much of the past 45 years, the continent is experiencing its strongest growth acceleration, with GDP growth rates gradually surpassing the global average and inflation below two-digit level - its lowest point in about 30 years. Many countries are witnessing improved macro-economic management, increased inflows of investment and aid, debt relief, and better governance.

Recent projections from the IMF indicate that, in spite of the global financial turmoil and an economic slowdown, which has seen some developed economies already tipping into recession, Africa, is still set to grow at 6.0 percent in 2008 and 2009. This is slightly down from a forecast of about 6.5 percent in 2007.

On the political front, there are visible improvements on Africa's governance landscape. Constitutionalism, the rule of law and multiparty elections, however fraught with challenges, are increasingly enjoying wider acceptance than ever before in many African countries. The media are freer and livelier today than in the past. Significantly, conflicts are receding in many parts of the continent, with post-conflict reconstruction accorded the top priority by African Leaders and institutions.

Despite these encouraging developments, governance remains, undoubtedly, critical to Africa's renewal as desired by its leaders and people. At the turn of the 21st Century, African leaders acknowledged the urgent need to place their countries, individually and collectively, on a path of sustained economic growth and development, and simultaneously benefit from globalisation. The transformation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) into the African Union (AU) and adoption of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), as Africa's development programme and strategic framework, were crystallized as institutional drivers of change, offering a joint platform to promote peace and security, democratic and political, economic and corporate good governance, as well as new social order, in Africa.

Furthermore, in recognition of the imperatives of good governance for human security and political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development, and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration, the Heads of State and Government of the AU in 2002, adopted the Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance. The declaration encapsulates African strategies and programmes on democracy, human rights and good governance as substantive prerequisite for the success of NEPAD. Subsequently, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the governance component of NEPAD, was launched in March 2003 to promote adherence to and fulfillment of the commitment contained in this Declaration.

The APRM, widely heralded as the jewel in NEPAD's crown and as an innovative initiative on governance in Africa, is an instrument voluntarily acceded to by member states of the African Union (AU) for self-evaluation. It has been described as ‘Africa's Innovative Thinking on Governance'. The initiative is the first of its kind in Africa, and indeed the world, that takes a comprehensive view of all aspects of a country's governance system.

Assessment under the APRM is conducted within the framework of agreed values, codes and standards as contained in the Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance. The mechanism has at its epicentre the deepening of democratic practices, the strengthening of achievements, dissemination of best practices and the rectification of underlying deficiencies in governance and socio-economic development processes among AU member states. This is aimed at encouraging and building transformative leadership through a self-assessment process, constructive peer dialogue and the sharing of information and common experiences, in order to reinforce successful and exemplary practices among African countries. It is organized on a dual process of governance self-assessment by the participating countries and of external evaluation by the APR Panel of Eminent Persons, culminating in a peer-review by the leaders of those countries.

Five (5) years on, the APRM has demonstrated its mettle and real potential of playing a decisive role in "collective self-governance", thereby unleashing the continent's economic and political energies. It has, no doubt, exceeded stakeholders' expectations, while garnering global acclaim. However, daunting challenges remain. Apart from the slow pace, which is presently receiving urgent attention, the task of moving beyond general affirmations of the importance of governance to pragmatic action, remains formidable in some countries that are already implementing the resultant National Programme of Action (NPOA). There is, thus, an urgent need to implement the NPOAs through up-scaling efforts by all stakeholders.

Findings from the APRM review processes have also brought to the fore specific governance challenges, which are recurrent to Africa and must be addressed ‘head on'. The continent is already doing much to address these emerging issues on its own. Recently, African Leaders deliberated on four of the recurrent issues- Managing diversity in nation building; Corruption; Resource control and management: Land; and Elections at a specially convened Extraordinary Summit of the African Peer Review Forum from 25 to26 October 2008 in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

This paper presents emerging governance issues in Africa from the perspective of the APRM process. It appraises two key dimensions of the emerging governance challenge in Africa: implementing the National Programmes of Action and addressing the crosscutting issues emanating from the APRM review process. The paper concludes by giving recommendations intended to drive the APRM process forward.