Malawi ranked 17 in African governance index: No winner leadership prize 2012
Malawi has ranked 17 in the Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance released on Monday in London.
The Ibrahim Index, ranking 52 African countries according to 88 indicators grouped under safety and the rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity and human development.
Malawi ranked 7th in the southern Africa, according to the latest index.
“Malawi scores 56 (out of 100) for overall governance.”
According to the index. “Malawi scores lower than the regional average for Southern Africa which is 59.Malawi scores higher than the continental average which is 51.”
The London-based foundation said Malawi received its highest score in the Safety & Rule of Law category (62) and its lowest score in the Sustainable Economic Opportunity category (49).
At sub-category level Malawi’s highest rank is in Rule of Law and National Security (9th) and lowest is in Education (47th).
According to the date, between 2000 and 2011 Malawi’s overall governance score improved.
Sudan-born telecoms tycoon Mo Ibrahim, chair of the foundation said: “Good governance is about harnessing a country’s resources to achieve the results any citizen living in the 21st century has a right to expect. One of Africa’s biggest leadership and governance challenges going forward is to master its own robust statistical system. Political sovereignty begins with data autonomy.”
Mauritius topping the index with a score of 83 out of 100, ahead of Cape Verde (78), Botswana (77), Seychelles (73) and South Africa (71).
Somalia remained at the bottom with a score of seven, behind Democratic Republic of Congo (33), Chad (33), Eritrea (33) and the Central African Republic (34).
Ibrahim said that while there had been major improvements in some sectors, the continent’s main players were lagging behind.
“The major improvements were in health, the rural sector, the economy. The interesting development was in gender. Gender has improved amazingly over the last 10-11 years. The highest improvement in any category in the index.”
No prize winner
Meanwhile, the foundation said the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership — the world’s biggest individual prize ($5 million) — was not awarded for a third time in four years as no suitable candidates were found.
Announcing the decision, Ibrahim said: “You make your bed; you have to lie on it. If we said we’re going to have a prize for exceptional leadership, we have to stick to that. We are not going to compromise.”
The award goes to a democratically-elected African leader who has served their mandated term and left office in the last three years.
Since its establishment six years ago, the foundation has awarded Botswana’s President Festus Mogae Mozambique’s Joaquim Chissano and former Cape Verde president Pedro Pires.
Two special awards given to South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and South African former archbishop Desmond Tutu.
The prize committee member Salim Ahmed Salim said they reviewed a number of eligible candidates “but none met the criteria needed to win.”
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