Human rights, political freedom, transparency and accountability have deteriorated in four African “powerhouses” over the past six years, according to the 2012 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, published on Monday.
Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt dropped in the rankings in two of the four categories used in the index to assess good governance across the continent – safety and rule of law, and participation and human rights. The other two categories are sustainable economic opportunity and human development.
Nigeria was singled out as the worst performer of the four, dropping into the bottom 10 countries in the overall rankings for the first time. The country was ranked 14th out of the 16 countries in west Africa and 43rd out of the 52 countries listed overall. Nigeria was 41st last year and 37th in 2006.
Although South Africa, Egypt and Kenya are ranked fifth, 14th and 25th respectively, people’s freedom to participate in political processes has declined in each country. Kenya and South Africa have also registered a decline in economic opportunities, while Egypt has shown a significant improvement in this area.
“Given the vast natural and human resources of these four regional powers, these governance results are a concern,” said Abdoulie Janneh, a board member of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which has published the index since 2007. “Each of these countries plays a key role in the economic and political landscape of the continent. To continue to optimally play this role requires a sustained commitment to balanced and equitable governance.”
This year’s index examines data from each of the four categories, which are broken down into 14 sub-categories, for each country between 2000 and 2011. It uses 88 indicators drawn from 23 independent data providers from Africa and internationally.
Mauritius came top in the overall index, followed by Cape Verde, Botswana and the Seychelles, continuing the same pattern as last year. Somalia was last, a position it has occupied since the index was first published. The country came last in each of the four category rankings. Somalia’s overall score has declined since 2006. Tanzania moved into the top 10 for the first time this year, while Liberia, Sierra Leone and Angola registered significant improvements. Sudan and South Sudan were not included this year.
Read more: The Guardian.co.uk Via Wavuti.