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The concept of governance refers to the process of decision–making and the process by which decisions are implemented or not implemented. As a decision making process, key actors in the process include government, civil society organization, media, multi-national corporations, religious leaders, financial institutions, local farmers etc. The key actors in every decision-making or implementation process vary depending on the level of decision-making.
While good governance is recognized as salient to Africa’s economic growth and recovery, bad governance is increasingly regarded as a major cause for Africa’s under development. Good governance entails the existence of efficient and accountable institutions - political, judicial, administrative, economic, corporate that promote development, protect human rights, respect the rule of law and ensure that people are free to participate in, and be heard on decisions that affect their lives.
Good governance is increasingly receiving the importance it deserves and major donors and international financial institutions today, often base their decision on granting aid and loans to African governments on conditions that institutions and policies to facilitate good governance are put in place. Through the NEPAD framework document, African leaders have recognized the importance of good governance for achieving sustainable development and have set out principles pertaining to the strengthening of democracy and political governance as well as economic and corporate governance. The main purpose of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), set out in its base document, seeks to foster the adoption of policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth and sustainable development.
Despite the efforts made to ensure that good governance prevails in Africa, this continues to be an issue of concern in Southern Africa as much as in other sub-regions. SARO, through capacity building initiatives such as training on the human rights based approach to development, has been assisting countries in the region in strengthening institutional capacities. The Office has also been actively involved in assisting countries in the region in setting up appropriate institutions, in particular national human rights institutions.
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