President Abdelmadjid Tebboune delivered a speech on Friday during the 35th Ordinary Session of the Forum of Heads of State and Government of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The speech was delivered on his behalf by Prime Minister Saifi Gharib.
The address was directed to President João Gonçalves Lourenço of Angola and Chairperson of the African Union, as well as heads of state and government, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, and senior officials of the APRM Continental Secretariat. President Tebboune expressed his gratitude to the Ethiopian authorities for their hospitality and thanked the African Union leadership for the successful organization of the summit.
The President noted that this summit marks the conclusion of Algeria’s rotating presidency of the APRM Forum for the 2024-2026 period and the transition of leadership to the Republic of Uganda. He emphasized that Algeria’s commitment as a founding member is a natural extension of its active role in African Union mechanisms, based on respect for national sovereignty and the promotion of African solutions to African challenges.
Algeria assumed the presidency in February 2024 during a period marked by challenges in governance, peace, security, and sustainable development. The Algerian presidency focused on repositioning the mechanism as a credible strategic tool aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. During this term, the mechanism’s membership expanded to 45 countries, with the Central African Republic and the Republic of Somalia joining the initiative.
Key achievements highlighted during the presidency include the adoption of the APRM Strategic Plan 2025-2028 and the strengthening of governance assessment mechanisms. Several countries, including Sierra Leone, Togo, Ghana, Sao Tome and Principe, and Zimbabwe, are set to present reports on their governance sectors, while others like Mozambique, Djibouti, Nigeria, and Namibia will present progress reports on their national action programs.
The speech also noted the integration of e-governance to modernize public administrations and the promotion of the mechanism’s role in conflict prevention through dialogue with the AU Peace and Security Council. Furthermore, significant progress was made toward establishing an African Credit Rating Agency to enhance the continent’s financial resilience.
In addition to political support, Algeria provided a voluntary financial contribution of $1 million to the mechanism. This funding supported the implementation of country reviews for Sao Tome and Principe, Zimbabwe, and Sierra Leone. President Tebboune concluded by officially handing over the presidency to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda, expressing full confidence in the new leadership and reaffirming Algeria’s readiness to share its experience and continue supporting the mechanism’s goals.
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