Inadequately self-critical: Rwanda’s self-assessment for the African peer review mechanism

During the first stage of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) peer review process, the country under review compiles a report on the state of economic, political, social, and corporate governance in the country. This article examines Rwanda’s evaluation of its political governance during this first stage, as reflected in the January 2005 version of this country’s self-assessment report. After sketching the compromised political environment in which the report was written, it is indicated how this rosy report inadequately addresses a number of serious political problems in Rwanda, such as Rwanda’s involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the inadequate separation of powers in the Rwandan political system, tensions in Rwandan society, and the flawed presidential and parliamentary elections of 2003. While it remains to be seen to what extent Rwanda either acknowledges its political problems in the final version of its self-assessment report, or is censured in the subsequent stages of the peer review process, it is concluded that the greater the failure to do either, the greater the doubt that will linger over the value of the African peer-review exercise.