Steven Gruzd first joined SAIIA in April 2003 as the Research Manager on the NEPAD and Governance Programme, and became Head of the successor programme on Governance and the APRM, in May 2008. He rejoined SAIIA in this capacity in October 2013, having spent two years as Senior Researcher and Diplomatic Liaison at the SA Jewish Board of Deputies. From 1999-2003 he worked as a researcher and research coordinator at the Centre for Development and Enterprise. He has published widely on governance and the African Peer Review Mechanism, and keenly follows African political developments and South African foreign policy. He hosted a magazine talk show on the 101.9 ChaiFM community radio station, and has made numerous radio and television appearances. Steven holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science in International Relations and a BA (Hons) in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand.
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Steven Gruzd
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Russian and African Media: Exercising Soft Power
Under President Vladimir Putin, there has been a resurgence of Russian interest and involvement in Africa. The October 2019 Russia–Africa Summit in Sochi was reported as being a key milestone in Russia’s return to the African continent. Like other coun …
Regions Apart: How South Africa and Nigeria Responded to COVID-19
Africa reacted rapidly and collectively to COVID-19. The AU, under the chairmanship of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2020, mobilised health ministers before the first case was reported on the continent, predicated by fears the virus would …
How can Zimbabwe Successfully Reintegrate into the International Community?
This report seeks to provide a better understanding of the dynamics and impediments to improving Zimbabwean relations with other states, including those in the West. It makes recommendations for ways in which the country could overcome the current poli …
Should All Africa’s States Join the APRM?
When the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) – Africa’s governance monitoring and promotion instrument – was launched on 9 March 2003, it was voluntary. Given the sensitivity of governance reviews, its voluntary nature was deemed necessary, as reviews …
South Africa has a new chance to promote good governance on the continent
As South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa begins his term as chairperson of Africa’s premier instrument aimed at promoting good governance among member states, his country has a perfect opportunity to set a good example by using the process to review …
At the Table or on the Menu? Africa’s Agency and the Global Order
Africa has often been on the periphery of global processes and events. Where is its ‘agency’ in a changing global order? Does Africa have a clear unified ‘voice’ in a complex, polycentric and unstable world? And what can Africa do to strengthen its par …
Lessons from Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is an example of a multi-stakeholder initiative (MSI). Such frameworks became prominent in the early 21st century, bringing together governments, business and civil society to collectively solve governance chall …
Spotlighting Governance Challenges: Lessons from Namibia
In January 2017 Namibia became the 37th state to join the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the continent’s self-assessment tool promoting good governance. In 2018 Namibian civil society organisations (CSOs) met to develop an evidence-based written …
The ‘Kagame Reforms’ of the AU: Will they Stick?
At the 27th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State in 2016, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was entrusted with leading the institutional reform process of the AU. The decision to reform the organisation was a response to the seemingly per …
Israel’s ties with Africa: A Focus on Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa
Despite close ties in the 1950s and 1960s, an almost complete rupture in relations between Israel and African states occurred around the oil crisis and Yom Kippur War in 1973, over Israel’s captured land and the Palestinian issue. Relations had gradual …
Anticipation builds around Zimbabwe’s elections
President Emmerson Mnangagwa literally looms large above the bustling streets of Harare: his smiling face beams down from giant billboards all over the city. Zimbabweans are gearing up for critical elections on 30 July, the first in decades not to feat …
The African Peer Review Mechanism at 15: Achievements and Aspirations
As the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) turns 15 on 9 March 2018, this milestone provides an ideal opportunity to acknowledge recent progress. The APRM Secretariat’s new ‘Three Rs strategy’ has begun to restore, reinvigorate and renew the mechanism …
The APRM at 15: Has African governance come of age?
In the Americas, when a young Latina girl turns 15, she celebrates her fiesta de quinceañera, a coming of age ceremony. Across the Atlantic Ocean, Africa’s most important governance self-evaluation and promotion instrument – the African Peer Review Mec …
Can the APRM be an Effective Tool to Monitor Agenda 2063 and the SDGs?
“Monitoring and evaluation has emerged as a central concern in development thinking. Both the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the AU’s Agenda 2063 represent responses to Africa’s developmental deficits, with much overlap between them. The …
A Next-Generation Peer Review: What does the Open Government Partnership have to Offer
“This policy briefing is based on a collaborative research effort comparing four international peer-review processes – the AU’s African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Organization for Economic Cooperation an …
Maintaining Momentum? Civil Society and the APRM in Zambia
“The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is intended to assist member states to identify and eradicate governance problems. The review of Zambia found positives as well as negatives in the country’s governance practices. Without the participation of c …
Promoting Peer Review as a Compliance Mechanism for Regional Integration
Multilateral organisations have long used peer review as a means to encourage compliance with commitments made in the pursuit of various socio-economic goals. Africa established the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) as an indigenous system to monito …
African Peer Review Mechanism: Development Lessons from Africa’s Remarkable Governance Assessment System
This case study of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) seeks to examine the lessons it holds about South–South knowledge exchange, South–South co-operation(SSC), capacity development and development effectiveness. This case study outlines the achi …
Ten Reasons to Keep Faith with Africa’s Peer Review Process
Almost a decade after Africa’s major governance monitoring mechanism was mooted, we must ask: What value has the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) added? Has it been worth the time and money? What has it changed? Like any tool, much depends on the w …
SAIIA Roundtable: The African Peer Review Mechanism – Progress and Prospects
“The roundtable agreed that, seven years on, the APRM has notched up notable achievements. It has defied the sceptics by attracting 30 member states to accede voluntarily to its rules. After a slow start, a dozen states have now completed their Country …
The African Peer Review Mechanism: Assessing Origins, Institutional Relations and Achievements
“This paper assesses the origins of the APRM, the benefits that it has brought to the continent, and the obstacles that militate against success. To assess the impact of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), it is necessary to understand where it c …
Africa’s Evolving Governance Architecture: Reflections on the African Peer Review Mechanism
“This paper examines two facets of this maturing mechanism. Firstly, how does the APRM relate to its progenitors, the AU and NEPAD, and other governance initiatives beyond the continent, as part of this evolving governance architecture? Secondly, what …
Back to the blackboard: Looking beyond Universal Primary Education in Africa
“Education is the driving force behind any strong economy and a prerequisite for social and economic growth. It creates opportunities and provides societies with a better educated and skilled workforce which is necessary for stimulating development. Th …
Africa after Cancun Trade Negotiations in Uncertain Times
“This trade policy report sets out to understand and demystify the failed September 2003 World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico. The collection begins with President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda arguing that what Africans rea …