JOHANNESBURG, South
Africa
Africa’s governance performance declined for the first time in a decade in 2019 due to weakening human rights, the rule of law and others, according to a survey released on Monday.
Zanzibar citizens experienced police brutality that left deaths and injuries during 2020 general elections |
The Ibrahim Index on African
Governance (IIAG) report which surveys governance across the continent said in
its 2020 report, although African governance has improved since 2010, progress
has slowed in the last five years.
“Governance performance is not meeting African citizens’ growing expectations. Public Perception of Overall Governance has deteriorated over the last ten years, at twice as quick a pace since 2015, and registers the lowest score of the past decade in 2019,” the report said.
The Ibrahim Index on African
Governance is the most comprehensive data set measuring African governance of
each of the 54 African countries.
It measures performance based on four categories, which include, safety and the rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity and human development.
The report said the continent’s
path towards sound governance is uneven, with economic opportunity and human
development improving at the expense of worrying declines in participation,
rights, inclusion, rule of law and security.
“This is all the more concerning
with COVID-19 set to worsen already existing challenges and reverse any
positive gains and with Africa’s citizens already expressing increasing
dissatisfaction with governance delivery in their countries,” the report said.
The survey also revealed that
while more than half of the countries on the continent have improved their
governance within the last decade, progress appears unbalanced.
“20 countries improved in Human
Development and Foundations for Economic Opportunity, which are the main
drivers of Overall Governance progress. But at the same time their performance
in Security & Rule of Law and Participation, Rights & Inclusion
declined,” the report said.
“Only eight countries have
managed to improve in all four governance categories over the decade,’’ it
said, adding “This growing imbalance might threaten the sustainability of
overall governance progress,” it added.
Mauritius, Botswana and South
Africa are among the top scoring countries while Somalia and Angola are lest
performers.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation which publishes the IIAG reports, defines governance as the provision of political, social, economic and environmental public goods and services that every citizen has the right to expect from their government, and that a government has the responsibility to deliver to its citizens.
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