Uganda excels in Mo Ibrahim index
Oct 05, 2010
UGANDA is the third best performer in good governance in eastern Africa, according to the Mo Ibrahim Index report released on Monday.
By John Odyek
UGANDA is the third best performer in good governance in eastern Africa, according to the Mo Ibrahim Index report released on Monday.
Uganda scored 51% for governance quality in 2009 and was ranked 24th out of 53 countries. The regional averages for East Africa stood at 45% (2010) and 46.9% (2009).
Out of the 12 eastern Africa countries, Uganda emerged third just behind Seychelles (74.5%) and Tanzania (54.1%).
Djibouti scored 50.1%, Kenya 49.7%, Comoros 48.3%, Rwanda 47.9%, Burundi 45.8%, Ethiopia 44.2%, Sudan 33.4% and Somalia got the least rank in Africa with 7.9%.
The 2010 Ibrahim Index shows both areas of progress and setbacks in governance between 2004/05 and 2008/09 (the most recent period assessed).
It shows that Uganda performed poorly in national security and highest in the rule of law. The survey is designed to encourage good governance.
The index was launched simultaneously with events in the cities of Accra, Dakar, Johannesburg and Nairobi. It measures the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by governments and non-state actors across 88 indicators.
Eritrea got 33%, Zimbabwe 32%, DR Congo 32% and Chad 31%.
Of the 53 countries surveyed, 41 have seen improvement over the past five years in the area of sustainable economic opportunity, the foundation said.
But the gains have been offset by declines in 35 countries in the area of safety and the rule of law, and almost two-thirds of countries declined in the areas of participation and human rights.
Seychelles was the best performing country in the eastern Africa region in all four categories of the index, while Somalia was the worst.
East Africa performed poorly as a region, ranking fourth out of the five regions in Africa in safety and rule of law and sustainable economic opportunity as well. It was third in human rights and human development, but performed poorly in national security and public management.
“The index gives us a mixed picture about recent progress on governance across the continent. While many African citizens are becoming healthier and have greater access to economic opportunities than five years ago, many of them are less physically secure and less politically enfranchised,†stated Mo Ibrahim, the founder and chairman of the foundation.
He is also the creator of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, the world’s largest annual prize, created to reward former African leaders for good governance.
Winners get a $5m prize split over 10 years, plus $200,000 annually for the rest of their lives and $200,000 a year for charitable causes of their choice.
For the past two years, there have not been any prize winners. The last winner was former Mozambique president Joachim Chissano.
The index seeks to inform and empower the continent’s citizens and to support governments, parliaments and civil society to assess progress.
Salim Ahmed Salim, a board member of the foundation and former secretary-general of the Organisation of African Unity, said: “We must ensure that the political side of governance in Africa is not neglected.
“We have seen from evidence and experience across the world that discrepancies between political governance and economic management are unsustainable in the long term.
If Africa is going to continue to make progress, we need to pay attention to the rights and safety of citizens.â€
UGANDA is the third best performer in good governance in eastern Africa, according to the Mo Ibrahim Index report released on Monday.
Uganda scored 51% for governance quality in 2009 and was ranked 24th out of 53 countries. The regional averages for East Africa stood at 45% (2010) and 46.9% (2009).
Out of the 12 eastern Africa countries, Uganda emerged third just behind Seychelles (74.5%) and Tanzania (54.1%).
Djibouti scored 50.1%, Kenya 49.7%, Comoros 48.3%, Rwanda 47.9%, Burundi 45.8%, Ethiopia 44.2%, Sudan 33.4% and Somalia got the least rank in Africa with 7.9%.
The 2010 Ibrahim Index shows both areas of progress and setbacks in governance between 2004/05 and 2008/09 (the most recent period assessed).
It shows that Uganda performed poorly in national security and highest in the rule of law. The survey is designed to encourage good governance.
The index was launched simultaneously with events in the cities of Accra, Dakar, Johannesburg and Nairobi. It measures the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by governments and non-state actors across 88 indicators.
Eritrea got 33%, Zimbabwe 32%, DR Congo 32% and Chad 31%.
Of the 53 countries surveyed, 41 have seen improvement over the past five years in the area of sustainable economic opportunity, the foundation said.
But the gains have been offset by declines in 35 countries in the area of safety and the rule of law, and almost two-thirds of countries declined in the areas of participation and human rights.
Seychelles was the best performing country in the eastern Africa region in all four categories of the index, while Somalia was the worst.
East Africa performed poorly as a region, ranking fourth out of the five regions in Africa in safety and rule of law and sustainable economic opportunity as well. It was third in human rights and human development, but performed poorly in national security and public management.
“The index gives us a mixed picture about recent progress on governance across the continent. While many African citizens are becoming healthier and have greater access to economic opportunities than five years ago, many of them are less physically secure and less politically enfranchised,†stated Mo Ibrahim, the founder and chairman of the foundation.
He is also the creator of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, the world’s largest annual prize, created to reward former African leaders for good governance.
Winners get a $5m prize split over 10 years, plus $200,000 annually for the rest of their lives and $200,000 a year for charitable causes of their choice.
For the past two years, there have not been any prize winners. The last winner was former Mozambique president Joachim Chissano.
The index seeks to inform and empower the continent’s citizens and to support governments, parliaments and civil society to assess progress.
Salim Ahmed Salim, a board member of the foundation and former secretary-general of the Organisation of African Unity, said: “We must ensure that the political side of governance in Africa is not neglected.
“We have seen from evidence and experience across the world that discrepancies between political governance and economic management are unsustainable in the long term.
If Africa is going to continue to make progress, we need to pay attention to the rights and safety of citizens.â€