Justice Minister Represents VP at 35th APRM Heads of State Session

By Mariatou Ngum

& Abdou Mbye

The Minister of the Republic of The Gambia Hon. Dawda A. Jallow
yesterday represented the Vice President at the 35th Session of the African
Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Forum of Heads of State and
Government held in Addis Ababa.
Speaking on behalf of the Vice President, the Minister delivered The
Gambia’s intervention on the report of the Chairperson of the APR Focal
Point Committee. He reaffirmed The Gambia’s unwavering commitment to
the APRM process, describing it as one of Africa’s most credible and
innovative home-grown governance instruments.

The Minister underscored the APRM’s importance in strengthening
democracy, promoting transparency, and enhancing accountability across
the continent. He noted that through its voluntary self-assessment and peer
review processes, the Mechanism has enabled Member States to identify
structural gaps, policy weaknesses, and institutional constraints, while also
sharing African-led best practices.
Addressing The Gambia’s engagement with the APRM, the Minister
acknowledged that although the country is a member of the Mechanism, it
is yet to undertake a targeted review as proposed by the APRM
Secretariat. He explained that this has been due to ongoing efforts to
establish the necessary legal and institutional frameworks to ensure a
credible and nationally owned review process.
He assured the Forum that The Gambia remains fully committed to the
APRM and welcomed the Secretariat’s proposal to conduct a targeted
review in the country. The Minister further stated that The Gambia stands
ready to collaborate closely with the Secretariat to determine an
appropriate thematic focus, guided by mutually agreed instruments and
frameworks.
He emphasised that targeted reviews are strategic tools for strengthening
national ownership of reforms, enhancing transparency, and ensuring
accountability to citizens.
The Minister was accompanied by Ms. Reneta Rohey Jack the Gambian
Councillor at the Gambian Embassy in Addis Ababa.
The 35th Session of the APRM Forum brought together African leaders to
review progress in governance and reinforce collective efforts toward
building resilient, accountable, and people-centred governance systems
across the continent.