Pan-African Parliament Deepens Governance Role at APR Forum as Africa Governance Report 2025 Presented

By Olu Ibekwe

Addis Ababa, February 14, 2026 - The Pan-African Parliament, led by its President H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira, participated in the 3rd Extraordinary and 34th Ordinary Sessions of the APR Forum of Heads of State and Government, reinforcing its expanding role within the African Union’s governance architecture.

The high-level Forum of the African Peer Review Mechanism reviewed Country and Targeted Review Reports, assessed National Action Plans, and received the Africa Governance Report (AGR) 2025. PAP’s engagement comes amid a deepening institutional partnership formalized through a 2025 Memorandum of Understanding between the two bodies, aimed at strengthening accountability, parliamentary oversight, and coordinated action within the African Governance Architecture platform.

Focus on Country Reviews and Governance Reform

During the 3rd Extraordinary and 34th Ordinary Sessions of the APR Forum, deliberations centered on reviewing Country Review Reports, Targeted Review Reports, and corresponding National Action Plans. These instruments are central to tracking governance performance and reform commitments across participating Member States.

The sessions also featured the presentation of the Africa Governance Report (AGR) 2025, a continental assessment of governance trends, institutional performance, and accountability indicators. The AGR serves as an evidence-based reference for policy reforms and continental benchmarking.

The Parliament’s participation signals a deliberate effort to bridge review findings with legislative oversight. While the APRM provides diagnostic and peer evaluation mechanisms, PAP offers a representative forum capable of translating governance recommendations into policy debate and legislative advocacy.

MoU Deepens Institutional Collaboration

A significant milestone in this evolving relationship is the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2025 between the Pan-African Parliament and the African Peer Review Mechanism.

The MoU reflects a shared commitment to advancing governance, accountability, and people-centered development across the continent. It establishes a structured framework for cooperation in areas such as:

• Parliamentary engagement with APR review findings
• Support for implementation of National Action Plans
• Joint policy dialogue within AU governance platforms
• Knowledge exchange and capacity building

This partnership represents more than institutional coordination; it signals convergence between peer review accountability and parliamentary representation.

Strengthening the African Governance Architecture Platform

Through this collaboration, PAP and APRM aim to enhance the African Governance Architecture (AGA) Platform, which brings together AU organs and institutions working on democracy, human rights, elections, and rule of law.

A central objective of the partnership is to improve coherence among AU bodies, reduce duplication of efforts, and ensure that governance interventions translate into tangible impact at national and regional levels.

Analytically, this alignment addresses a longstanding structural gap within the AU system: the separation between review mechanisms and representative deliberation. By institutionalizing cooperation, the APRM’s findings gain a parliamentary channel, while PAP strengthens its oversight relevance with evidence-based governance assessments.

Toward Greater Institutional Synergy

The participation of the Pan-African Parliament at the APR Forum underscores its expanding engagement beyond plenary deliberations into core continental governance processes.

As Africa continues to pursue democratic consolidation, institutional accountability, and sustainable development, closer alignment between review mechanisms and representative institutions may prove critical. The PAP–APRM partnership positions both entities to play a complementary role in reinforcing governance standards while ensuring that reform processes remain anchored in citizen representation.

The evolving collaboration reflects a broader shift within the African Union toward institutional synergy where oversight, peer review, and parliamentary diplomacy increasingly operate as mutually reinforcing pillars of continental governance.