Delegates to the Sub -Regional Conference on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), have called for the establishment of a Sub Regional Centre to promote good governance and democracy, in the West African Sub Region. The West African Centre for the Advancement of the APRM (WACAA) would be a knowledge based organisation, using research and advocacy, generated by academic and research institutions to leverage the promotion of good governance in the Region. It would also accelerate the implementation of APRM in participating countries, as well as encourage non- member countries in Africa to accede to it. The conference was organised by the APRM participating countries, basically to share the different experiences, regarding the implementation of the APRM in West Africa and to deliberate on the establishment of a Regional Centre for the advancement of APRM. Rev Prof S.K. Adjepong, Chairman of the National APRM Governing Council, Ghana, presenting the communiqué, said the centre would be owned and led by Africans, and promote peer learning and utilise existing African institutions as well as promote and enhance the APRM implementation process in the West African countries, through the management of shared regional knowledge based organisations. The national governing councils of the various countries would be the main drivers of the centre, collaborating effectively with other regional, national and in-country local stakeholders, he said. Prof Adjepong said the Centre would also promote civil society participation, popular ownership and bottom up development strategy, through civic education, and promote, sensitize and create awareness, using communication and information strategies, including the media. He said “The Centre would establish and manage a shared regional knowledge-based organisation that would coordinate the production, dissemination and sharing of knowledge and information on the APRM in West Africa”. Prof Adjepong urged participating countries to demonstrate their commitment, by contributing towards the financial sustainability of the Centre. Mr Chris Kpodo, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, said there was the need for a Sub Regional clearing house, to coordinate the production, dissemination and sharing of knowledge and information on the APRM and the objectives of the conference moved a step forward to achieving that initiative. He said national and sub regional institutions, especially the regional economic communities should play a leadership role in promoting the APRM and be innovative in their approaches to entrenching good governance in the Sub Regions. Mr. Kpodo said government was in full support of the initiative and would do its best to see the realisation of the project. Source: GNA