Ghana Ranked High On Good Governance

Ghana has been ranked among the top 10 African countries with a record performance on good governance in 2007. The country’s ranking was determined by the Ibrahim Index on African Governance, a comprehensive ranking of 48 sub-Saharan African countries. Mauritius topped the list followed by Seychelles, Botswana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Gabon, Namibia. Somalia, DR Congo, Chad, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau , Liberia and Angola, Central African Republic were among the worst performers. The Ibrahim Index is a tool to hold Governments in Africa to account and frame the debate about how their peoples are governed. Its approach is based on scientific measurement of the degree to which Governments deliver political goods to their citizens. The rankings involving 48 African countries were determined by the Ibrahim Index on African Governance and they measured five main categories. The categories are safety and security; rule of law, tranparency and corruption; participation and human rights; sustainable economic opportunity and human development. The results of the study were published by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation in the November 2007 edition of the African Business Magazine. The Ibrahim Index was developed by a team of academics and researchers from the Harvard University of the United States of America (USA) led by Professor Robert Rotberg and is regarded as the most comprehensive and accurate ranking of governance in Africa. The Ibrahim Index on Governance forms part of the ambitious project to improve the quality of governance in Africa and includes the Mo Ibrahim Prize of $5million, awarded to a former African executive head of state or government, who has demonstrated excellence in African leadership. The study revealed that Ghana scored 85.9 in the category of Safety and Security, 70.1 in the Rule of Law, Transparency and Corruption and 67.7 Participation and Human Rights. Ghana also made an impressive showing in the Sustainable Economic Opportunity and Human Development. The country scored 46.5 in Sustainable Economic Opportunity and 63.8. Professor Robert Rotberg, leader of the team which prepared the Ibrahim Index said the system was the most comprehensive and accurate ranking of governance in Africa. The Ibrahim index is unique in that its attempt to be comprehensive across a broad range of data for all 48 sub-Saharan African countries.