The goal of the mechanism is Good Governance while basically to get African leaders to subject their Governments to ongoing examination by other Africans in such priority areas.

The Four Thematic Areas:

1. Political and Democratic Governance.
   1. Managing conflict (including crime and cross-border issues).
   2. Constitution/rule of law.
   3. Electoral systems and practices.
   4. National and State Assembly .
   5. Judiciary.
   6. Human and political rights (including media freedoms and rights of children and vulnerable groups).
   7. Gender (rights, fairness, socio-economic dimension).
   8. Decentralization (including questions in the economic and socio-economic sections. It also include issues of traditional rule, service delivery, land and environmental issues).
      
2. Economic Governance and Management
   1. Economic and development strategy (to include questions on sustainable development from socio-economic section).
   2. Sound administration, oversight, corruption and money laundering (including corruption questions from political sections).
   3. Regional integration and trade.
      
3. Corporate Governance
   1. Business environment.
   2. Corporate behavior.
   3. Corporate accountability.
      
4. Socio-economic Development
   1. Self-reliance.
   2. Environment.
   3. Education.
   4. Health (including HIV).
   5. Water and Sanitation.
   6. Housing / Shelter.
   7. Agriculture (including access to markets, inputs, supports, food security).
   8. Financial (including micro-finance).
   9. Transport.
   10. Energy.
   11. ICT.