Zimbabwe and Rwanda are among African countries where governance has improved significantly in the last 10 years, the latest Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) report indicates.
Niger, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Kenya have also become better places to conduct business by 10 points over the decade. This makes them more likely to attract more foreign direct investment and enable local businesses to thrive.
Released on Monday in London, the report captures governance trends across the continent, based on 95 parameters.
According to the IIAG report, African countries are experiencing better governance compared to 10 years ago, having improved by an average one point.
This overall positive trend is mainly as a result of better health and education provision plus a more participatory approach to development.
The report also notes that it is easier to access economic opportunities on the continent unlike in the last decade, though growth in that area was still sluggish.
“The improvement in overall governance in Africa over the last decade reflects a positive trend in a majority of countries and for over two-thirds of the continent’s citizens,” noted Mo Ibrahim, chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
Overall, the best performing countries in 2015 were Mauritius, Botswana and Cape Verde. Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Zimbabwe, Liberia and Rwanda emerged most improved.
According to the report that covered 54 countries, most progress has been recorded in infrastructure development. Even then, the report suggests, there was a lot of ground to cover on the area.
MDGs
Human development-including education, health and social welfare- recorded most impressive growth, with up to 47 countries- home to about 87 per cent of the total African population, registering marked improvement.
Child mortality across the 54 countries improved greatly. That could be attributed to efforts under the Millennium Development Goals that saw governments invest more in that area.
Security challenges
Despite the improved conditions, the report indicates, Africans were still living in more insecure environments.
In West Africa, cases of attacks from the Boko Haram and other terrorists groups in Cameroon and Nigeria have caused a lot of pain to the economies. In Nigeria, for instance, oil production, which has been hampered by insecurity, has seriously affected the country’s economy.
