Ibrahim Index 2017 finds increasing deterioration in overall governance in Ghana

The 2017 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) launched today, November 20, 2017 says that over the last five years, Ghana has been showing signs of ‘Increasing Deterioration’ in overall governance.

The IIAG which provides an annual assessment of the quality of governance in African countries reveals that the continent’s overall governance trajectory remains positive on average, but in recent years has moved at a slower pace.  

“As many countries struggle to build on recent progress or to reverse negative trends, and as concerns emerge in some key sectors, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation is calling for vigilance on the continent’s future,” a press release from the Foundation copied to ghanabusinessnews.com says.

According to the release, the 2017 IIAG combines 100 indicators from 36 independent African and global data institutions, it analyses how the quality of governance across Africa has changed over the past five years (2012-2016) within the context of the last decade (2007-2016).  All scores in the IIAG,  it says are out of 100.0, with 100.0 being the best possible score.

It indicates that over the last ten years, 40 African countries have improved in Overall Governance. In the last five years, 18 of these – a third of the continent’s countries and home to 58% of African citizens – including Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria and Senegal, have even managed to accelerate their progress. In 2016, the continent achieved its highest Overall Governance score to date (50.8 out of 100.0), it said.

However, over the same period, Africa’s annual average rate of improvement in Overall Governance has slowed. Of the 40 countries improving in Overall Governance during the last decade, more than half (22) have either done so at a slower pace in the last five years (i.e. Rwanda and Ethiopia) or show decline (i.e. Mauritius, Cameroon and Angola). Furthermore, eight of the 12 countries registering decline in Overall Governance over the past decade are showing no signs of turning things around, with scores decreasing at an even faster rate over the second half of the decade. This group includes Botswana, Ghana, Libya and Mozambique, it added.

In Overall Governance Ghana scored 65.0 (out of 100.0) ranking 8th (out of 54) in Africa. The country scored higher than the African average (50.8) and higher than the regional average for West Africa (53.8).

While Ghana achieved its highest category score in Participation & Human Rights (72.0), its lowest category score is in Sustainable Economic Opportunity (51.1).

On the Rule of Law, Ghana achieved its highest sub-category score of  (88.7), and its lowest sub-category score in Infrastructure (40.1).

“Over the last five years, Ghana shows signs of ‘Increasing Deterioration’ in Overall Governance. Ghana registered Overall Governance deterioration over the decade at an annual average trend of -0.17, with the pace of decline quickening in the last five years at an annual average trend of -0.70,” the Index said.

The Index noted that Ghana’s Overall Governance decline over the decade is driven by all of the four categories: Safety & Rule of Law (annual average trend of -0.23), Participation & Human Rights (annual average trend of -0.16), Sustainable Economic Opportunity (annual average trend of -0.22) and Human Development (annual average trend of -0.10).

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
Copyright © 2017 by Creative Imaginations Publicity
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