The African Peer Review Mechanism

Burkina Faso's membership of the African Peer Review Mechanism is a visible sign of the commitment of the country's authorities to improving governance, especially political and democratic governance. This membership, which made it possible to observe a certain national consensus among the country's development stakeholders, led to the publication in May 2008 of a review report on the country by the APRM panel of eminent persons. The political authorities of Burkina Faso have affirmed their willingness to make use of the lessons and recommendations of the APRM report in order to better manage the development process. However, paradoxically, in contrast to this initial political will, the study found that implementation has been weak and frustrated and that monitoring and evaluation of the recommendations are almost non-existent. Thus, the APRM in Burkina Faso appears to be a "partial process". Despite these weaknesses and challenges in the implementation and monitoring and evaluation of the recommendations, democracy and political governance in Burkina Faso have seen a qualitative rebound, and the APRM project has contributed enormously to this.