Ibrahim Index of African Governance

2016 Edition of the Ibrahim Index on African Governance

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), established in 2007, provides an assessment of the quality of governance in African countries. The IIAG is compiled by 81 indicators and 265 variables from 54 data projects, coming from 47 independent African and international data sources.[1][2] Published every two years, the IIAG is one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of data on African governance.[3]

The IIAG provides a framework for citizens, governments, institutions, academics and business to assess the delivery of public goods and services, and policy outcomes, across Africa.[4]

The Foundation defines governance as the provision of the political, social, economic and environmental goods that a citizen has the right to expect from their state, and that a state has the responsibility to deliver to its citizens.[5] The IIAG assesses progress under four main conceptual categories: Security & Rule of Law, Participation, Rights & Inclusion, Foundations for Economic Opportunity, and Human Development.[3][6]

Scholars, development professionals, analysts, and policymakers have used the IIAG to benchmark governance performance across a number of dimensions at national, regional and continental levels.[7] Scores and ranks are available for the latest 10-year period, enabling the analysis of trends over time.[8] All underlying data used in the construction of the IIAG is freely available and transparently published alongside a comprehensive methodology.

History

[edit]

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) is a key initiative of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation that was first published in 2007. The most recent iteration, the 2022 IIAG, was published in January 2023 and covers the period 2012-2021.[9][10]

The index was initially produced in association with Harvard University; academic and technical assistance has subsequently been provided by a range of African academics and research bodies.[11]

The IIAG is published every two years and receives extensive media attention from across the African continent and in the international media.[12][13] The Ibrahim Index has been used by civil society and government bodies across the continent to monitor governance. One example is in, where political opponents of President Uhuru Kenyatta used the 2022 IIAG to challenge his administration’s record on governance.[14]

In 2007, critics suggested that the IIAG was limited by its focus on the 48 Sub-Saharan African countries, ignoring Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Aside from these five additions, the IIAG first included South Sudan, which became a separate country in 2011, in its 2015 iteration.[15]

Methodology

[edit]

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) is a composite Index that is published every two years and provides a statistical measure of governance performance in 54 African countries.[16]

The IIAG governance framework comprises four dimensions (categories):[17]

  • Security & Rule of Law[18]
  • Participation, Rights & Inclusion[6]
  • Foundations for Economic Opportunity[2]
  • Human Development[19]

These categories are made up of 16 sub-categories, consisting of 81 indicators.[20] For the latest IIAG, 265 variables have been collected from 47 independent sources.[10]

The IIAG is refined and revised on a biannual basis to continually improve its measurement of governance. Improvements are a result of either methodological changes, or based on the inclusion of new data. Equally, if previously included measures undergo fundamental methodological changes or do not meet the criteria for inclusion anymore, it may be necessary to exclude them from future iterations. It is also necessary to update previously published data if retrospective revisions are made to data at source.[21]

As a result of these changes, the entire IIAG dataset is re-calculated with each new iteration, in accordance with best practices. The retrospective revision means that score and rank comparisons between years should be made entirely within the latest available IIAG iteration.

Ahead of the 2020 IIAG, the structure of the Index was changed so that the vast majority of indicators are now composed of more than one single variable collected from source.[22]  This is based on the understanding that composite scores constitute the key value added of the IIAG dataset, and aims to provide a clearer, more complete and more stable framework.

Furthermore, since the 2020 iteration, the IIAG is also accompanied by the Citizens’ Voices dataset. All variables collected for this complementary dataset are sourced from Afrobarometer, the leading pan-African research institution conducting public opinion surveys. Even though Citizens’ Voices is calculated as a separate index and its scores are not counted in the calculation of IIAG scores, this dataset mirrors the IIAG framework and helps contextualise the official and expert assessment data in the IIAG with the reality on the ground as perceived by citizens.

How to read the results

[edit]

The IIAG provides score, rank and 10-year trends for all governance measures included in the dataset, and these are available for each country, as well as for multinational groupings such as the continent, African geographical regions and Regional Economic Communities (RECs).[23]

Scores

[edit]

Each governance measure is given a score out of 100.0 to quantify a country’s performance for each data year. Scores are rounded to one decimal point and show each country’s performance in relation to the other 54 African countries.

Ranks

[edit]

The 54 countries represented in the IIAG are ranked for each governance measure based on their respective scores and countries are sorted by performance. If two or more countries share the same score, they are given the same place in the ranking table.

[edit]

10-year trends offer additional insights into the scores and ranks by showing the change in score between the last and the first data years of the given period. For example, the 2022 IIAG 10-year trends compare each country’s performance for each governance measure in 2021 and 2012.

Indicators

[edit]

The latest IIAG comprises 81 indicators, grouped into four broad categories: Security & Rule of Law, Participation, Rights & Inclusion, Foundations for Economic Opportunity, and Human Development.[24] The Overall Governance score is arrived at by calculating the unweighted average of the four IIAG categories.

Security and Rule of Law

[edit]
Scores on the safety and rule of law category based on report from 2009
  100
  75
  50
  25
  0
  no data

The 21 indicators in the Security & Rule of Law category are divided into four sub-categories: Security & Safety, Rule of Law & Justice, Accountability & Transparency and Anti-Corruption.[22]

The Security & Safety sub-category includes five indicators measuring Absence of Armed Conflict,[10] Absence of Violence against Civilians, Absence of Forced Migration, Absence of Human Trafficking & Forced Labour and Absence of Crime.

The Rule of Law & Justice sub-category includes six indicators measuring Executive Compliance with the Rule of Law, Impartiality of the Judicial System, Judicial Process, Equality before the Law, Law Enforcement and Property Rights.[22]

The Accountability & Transparency sub-category includes five indicators measuring Institutional Checks & Balances, Absence of Undue Influence on Government, Civic Checks & Balances, Disclosure of Public Records and Accessibility of Public Records.[25]

The Anti-Corruption sub-category includes five indicators measuring Anti-Corruption Mechanisms, Absence of Corruption in State Institutions, Absence of Corruption in the Public Sector, Public Procurement Procedures and Absence of Corruption in the Private Sector.[26]

Participation, Rights and Inclusion

[edit]
Scores on the participation and human rights category based on report from 2009
  100
  75
  50
  25
  0
  no data

The 19 indicators in the Participation, Rights & Inclusion category are divided into four sub-categories: Participation, Rights, Inclusion & Equality and Women’s Equality.[22]

The Participation sub-category includes four indicators measuring Freedom of Association & Assembly, Political Pluralism, Civil Society Space and Democratic Elections.[22]

The Rights sub-category includes five indicators measuring Personal Liberties, Freedom of Expression & Belief, Media Freedom, Digital Rights and Protection against Discrimination.[27]

The Inclusion & Equality sub-category includes five indicators measuring Equal Political Power, Equal Political Representation, Equal Civil Liberties, Equal Socioeconomic Opportunity and Equal Access to Public Services.[25]

The Women’s Equality sub-category includes five indicators measuring Political Power & Representation of Women, Equal Rights & Civil Liberties for Women, Socioeconomic Opportunity for Women, Equal Access to Public Services for Women and Laws on Violence against Women.[6]

Foundations for Economic Opportunity

[edit]
Scores on the sustainable economic opportunity category based on report from 2009
  100
  75
  50
  25
  0
  no data

The 20 indicators in the Foundations for Economic Opportunity category are divided into four sub-categories: Public Administration, Business & Labour Environment, Infrastructure and Rural Economy.[22]

The Public Administration sub-category includes five indicators measuring Civil registration, Capacity of the Statistical System, Tax & Revenue Mobilisation, Budgetary & Financial Management and Effective Administration.[2]

The Business & Labour Environment sub-category includes six indicators measuring Regional Integration, Economic Diversification, Business & Competition Regulations, Access to Banking Services, Labour Relations and Secure Employment Opportunities.[25]

The Infrastructure sub-category includes five indicators measuring Transport Network, Access to Energy, Mobile Communications, Internet & Computers and Shipping & Postal Network.[22]

The Rural Economy sub-category includes four indicators measuring Rural Land & Water Access, Rural Market Access, Rural Economy Support and Rural Representation & Participation.[26]

Human Development

[edit]
Scores on the human development category based on report from 2009
  100
  75
  50
  25
  0
  no data

The 21 indicators in the Human Development category are divided into four sub-categories: Health, Education, Social Protection & Welfare and Sustainable Environment.[26]

The Health sub-category includes six indicators measuring Access to Healthcare, Access to Water & Sanitation, Control of Communicable Diseases, Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, Child & Maternal Health and Compliance with International Health Regulations.[28]

The Education sub-category includes five indicators measuring Equality in Education, Education Enrolment, Education Completion, Human Resources in Education and Education Quality.[29]

The Social Protection & Welfare sub-category includes five indicators measuring Social Safety Nets, Poverty Reduction Policies, Socioeconomic Inequality Mitigation, Decent Housing and Food Security.[25]

The Sustainable Environment sub-category includes five indicators measuring Promotion of Environmental Sustainability, Enforcement of Environmental Policies, Air Quality, Sustainable Use of Land & Forests and Land & Water Biodiversity Protection.[26]

Criticism

[edit]

Some scholars have questioned the effectiveness of the Index and particularly the need for civil society to engage with its results, pointing out that there does not often exist in Africa a strong and effective civil society.[30]

2022 Ibrahim Index of African Governance Overall Governance rankings

[edit]
Rank/54 Country Score/100 Change 2012-2021
1  Mauritius 74.9 Decrease -2.2
2  Seychelles 73.4 Increase +9.3
3  Tunisia 70.9 Increase +3.1
4  Cape Verde 70.7 Decrease -1.2
5  Botswana 68.1 Increase +0.8
6  South Africa 67.7 Increase +0.9
7  Ghana 64.8 Increase +1.1
8  Namibia 64.1 Increase +1.0
9  Senegal 62.4 Increase +1.5
10  Morocco 61.5 Increase +4.9
11  São Tomé and Príncipe 59.5 Increase +1.6
12  Rwanda 59.1 Increase +2.0
13  Kenya 58.7 Increase +3.1
14  Benin 56.1 Decrease -0.3
15  Algeria 55.6 Increase +2.1
16  Gambia 55.3 Increase +9.5
17  Lesotho 54.9 Decrease -0.5
18  Burkina Faso 54.6 Increase +0.2
19  Malawi 54.6 Increase +1.4
20  Côte d'Ivoire 54.3 Increase +5.4
21  Tanzania 53.4 Increase +0.6
22  Sierra Leone 52.2 Increase +4.3
23  Togo 50.5 Increase +3.8
24  Zambia 50.0 Decrease -3.1
25  Liberia 48.8 Increase +1.7
26  Mozambique 48.6 Decrease -0.8
27  Egypt 48.4 Decrease -1.5
28  Gabon 48.4 Increase +2.1
29  Zimbabwe 48.1 Increase +3.1
30  Nigeria 47.7 Decrease -0.5
31  Uganda 47.5 Decrease -2.2
31  Ethiopia 46.0 Increase +5.1
33  Niger 46.0 Decrease -2.6
34  Madagascar 44.2 Increase +3.0
35  Eswatini 43.9 Increase +0.9
36  Cameroon 43.2 Decrease -0.7
37  Mali 43.1 Decrease -3.3
38  Comoros 42.5 Decrease -4.9
39  Djibouti 42.2 Increase +3.3
40  Angola 41.5 Increase +5.4
41  Mauritania 41.3 Increase +2.2
42  Guinea 41.2 Increase +0.1
43  Burundi 40.4 Decrease -1.3
44  Guinea-Bissau 40.2 Increase +1.7
45  Libya 35.7 Decrease -8.5
46  Republic of the Congo 35.1 Decrease -1.8
47  Chad 34.5 Increase +2.8
48  Sudan 34.5 Increase +5.1
49  Democratic Republic of the Congo 32.7 Decrease -0.7
50  Central African Republic 30.6 Decrease -2.0
51  Equatorial Guinea 27.3 Increase +1.2
52  Eritrea 25.9 Increase +1.9
53  Somalia 23.2 Increase +5.3
54  South Sudan 18.5 Decrease -5.7

[23]

Previous IIAG Indexes

[edit]

2019 IIAG Index

[edit]
Rank/54 Country Score/100 Change 2010-2019
1  Mauritius 77.2 Decrease -0.5
2  Cape Verde 73.1 Increase +0.2
3  Seychelles 72.3 Increase +7.8
4  Tunisia 70.4 Increase +8.2
5  Botswana 66.9 Increase +0.8
6  South Africa 65.8 Decrease -0.9
7  Namibia 65.1 Increase +3.4
8  Ghana 64.3 Increase +0.1
9  Senegal 63.2 Increase +3.3
10  Morocco 61.0 Increase +5.3
11  Rwanda 60.5 Increase +3.7
12  São Tomé and Príncipe 60.4 Increase +2.8
13  Benin 58.6 Increase +1.1
14  Kenya 58.5 Increase +3.7
15  Algeria 56.2 Increase +3.3
16  Gambia 55.9 Increase +9.2
17  Burkina Faso 54.0 Increase +1.0
18  Côte d'Ivoire 53.9 Increase +9.0
19  Tanzania 53.0 Increase +0.2
20  Lesotho 52.3 Decrease -0.5
21  Zambia 52.0 Decrease -0.8
22  Uganda 51.8 Increase +0.7
23  Malawi 51.5 Decrease -1.3
24  Sierra Leone 51.0 Increase +4.8
25  Togo 50.1 Increase +4.8
26  Mozambique 49.0 Decrease -0.2
27  Liberia 47.9 Increase +1.2
28  Niger 47.8 Increase +0.4
29  Gabon 47.7 Increase +1.0
30  Egypt 47.4 Increase +0.5
31  Ethiopia 46.6 Increase +6.7
31  Mali 46.6 Decrease -2.5
33  Zimbabwe 46.1 Increase +7.4
34  Nigeria 45.5 Decrease -1.6
35  Madagascar 44.4 Increase +1.7
36  Eswatini 43.8 Increase +2.5
37  Cameroon 43.5 Decrease -0.6
38  Comoros 43.2 Decrease -2.6
39  Guinea 42.5 Increase +1.3
40  Mauritania 41.6 Increase +2.0
41  Guinea-Bissau 41.4 Increase +2.8
42  Djibouti 41.3 Increase +2.0
43  Angola 40.0 Increase +5.4
44  Burundi 36.9 Decrease -3.6
45  Republic of the Congo 36.1 Decrease -0.2
46  Libya 35.2 Decrease -5.5
47  Chad 33.9 Increase +3.7
48  Sudan 32.5 Increase +2.5
49  Democratic Republic of the Congo 31.7 Decrease -2.8
50  Central African Republic 30.7 Decrease -0.9
51  Equatorial Guinea 28.7 Decrease -0.3
52  Eritrea 25.8 Decrease -0.8
53  South Sudan* 20.7 0.0
54  Somalia 19.2 Increase +5.7
x Average 48.8 Increase +1.2

[31]

2013 IIAG Index

[edit]
Rank Country Overall 12 Year Change
1  Mauritius 82.9 Increase 7.3
2  Botswana 77.6 Increase 5.6
3  Cape Verde 76.7 Increase 6.0
4  Seychelles 75.0 Increase 5.5
5  South Africa 71.3 Increase 0.6
6  Namibia 69.5 Increase 2.3
7  Ghana 66.8 Increase 5.3
8  Tunisia 66.0 Increase 4.4
9  Lesotho 61.9 Increase 7.7
10  Senegal 61.0 Increase 4.3
11  São Tomé and Príncipe 59.9 Increase 3.2
12  Zambia 59.6 Increase 8.6
13  Benin 58.7 Increase 2.5
14  Morocco 58.0 Increase 5.1
15  Rwanda 57.8 Increase 10.9
16  Malawi 56.9 Increase 5.2
17  Tanzania 56.9 Increase 1.4
18  Uganda 56.0 Increase 5.5
19  Egypt 55.0 Increase 0.4
20  Mozambique 54.8 Increase 2.3
21  Kenya 53.6 Increase 1.5
22  The Gambia 53.6 Increase 4.0
23  Burkina Faso 53.0 Increase 1.2
24  Gabon 52.8 Increase 6.4
25  Algeria 52.5 Increase 1.3
26  Eswatini 50.8 Increase 4.3
27  Mali 50.7 Steady 0.0
28  Niger 50.4 Increase 7.6
29  Liberia 50.3 Increase 24.8
30  Djibouti 48.2 Increase 1.7
31  Sierra Leone 48.0 Increase 14.8
32  Comoros 47.8 Increase 6.9
33  Ethiopia 47.6 Increase 5.1
34  Mauritania 47.3 Increase 0.7
35  Cameroon 47.0 Increase 5.2
36  Togo 45.8 Increase 8.2
37  Madagascar 45.7 Decrease -11.7
38  Libya 45.3 Decrease -0.4
39  Angola 44.5 Increase 18.1
40  Burundi 43.8 Increase 8.8
41  Nigeria 43.4 Increase 0.8
42  Guinea 43.2 Increase 6.2
43  Republic of the Congo 43.0 Increase 8.0
44  Ivory Coast 40.9 Increase 1.8
45  Equatorial Guinea 40.9 Increase 8.8
46  Guinea-Bissau 37.1 Decrease -1.8
47  Zimbabwe 35.4 Increase 1.5
48  Chad 33.0 Increase 1.2
49  Central African Republic 32.7 Increase 3.8
50  Eritrea 31.9 Decrease -5.5
51  Democratic Republic of the Congo 31.3 Increase 7.3
52  Somalia 8.0 Decrease -1.7

*Sudan and South Sudan are not included in the IIAG.

2014 IIAG Index

[edit]
Rank Country Overall 5 Year Change
1  Mauritius 81.7 Increase 1.3
2  Cape Verde 76.6 Increase 1.3
3  Botswana 76.2 Increase 1.3
4  South Africa 73.3 Increase 0.5
5  Seychelles 73.2 Increase 2.7
6  Namibia 70.3 Increase 1.1
7  Ghana 68.2 Increase 1.6
8  Tunisia 66.0 Increase 2.2
9  Senegal 64.3 Increase 4.6
10  Lesotho 62.3 Increase 3.8

2015 IIAG Index

[edit]
Rank Country Overall Change since 2011
1  Mauritius 79.9 Decrease 0.7
2  Cape Verde 74.5 Decrease 1.9
3  Botswana 74.2 Decrease 1.8
4  South Africa 73.0 Increase 0.9
5  Namibia 70.4 Increase 2.0
6  Seychelles 70.3 Decrease 0.8
7  Ghana 67.3 Decrease 1.6
8  Tunisia 66.9 Increase 2.6
9  Senegal 62.4 Increase 4.5
10  Lesotho 61.1 Increase 2.2

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Le rapport de la fondation Mo-Ibrahim pointe un déclin de la bonne gouvernance en Afrique". RFI (in French). 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  2. ^ a b c Ahmed, Kaamil (2023-01-26). "Africa has become 'less safe, secure and democratic' in past decade, report finds". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  3. ^ a b BellaNaija.com (2023-01-27). "Mo Ibrahim Foundation Launches 2022 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) Report". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  4. ^ Ogwo, Charles (2023-01-25). "Governance in Africa stagnated since 2019- Mo Ibrahim Foundation". Businessday NG. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  5. ^ Sunday, Frankline. "Kenya ranks 13th in governance in Africa". The Standard. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  6. ^ a b c "African governance 'backslides' on democracy – DW – 01/26/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  7. ^ Simelane, Musa (2014-10-01). "Swaziland improves on governance issues". www.times.co.sz. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  8. ^ "2017 Ibrahim Index of African Governance" (PDF). European Parliament. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  9. ^ Bavier, Joe (2023-01-25). "Africa must fight 'strongman' backslide, billionaire Ibrahim says". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  10. ^ a b c "Ibrahim on IIAG report: Coups are back, African democracy is challenged | Africa Times". africatimes.com. 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  11. ^ Mo Ibrahim Foundation Official Website
  12. ^ "Ibrahim Index of African Governance". GOOD. 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  13. ^ "Ibrahim Index of African Governance". mg.co.za. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  14. ^ Staff Reporter (27 September 2007). "DA: SA safety 'utterly abysmal'". The M&G Online. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  15. ^ https://mo.ibrahim.foundation/sites/default/files/2020-11/2020-index-report.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  16. ^ BellaNaija.com (2023-01-27). "Mo Ibrahim Foundation Launches 2022 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) Report". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  17. ^ Thomas, Abdul Rashid (2023-01-26). "Decade of progress is under threat as overall African governance flatlines – says 2022 Ibrahim Index of African Governance". The Sierra Leone Telegraph. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  18. ^ "Africans are more insecure than they were a decade ago". Quartz. 2023-01-26. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  19. ^ "Seychelles: African Governance - Seychelles Ranks 2nd On Mo Ibrahim Index". Seychelles News Agency. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  20. ^ Intelligence, fDi. "Governance fluctuates in Africa's top FDI countries". www.fdiintelligence.com. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  21. ^ Thomas, Abdul Rashid (2022-04-06). "Mo Ibrahim Foundation announces new updates to the Ibrahim Index of African Governance data portal". The Sierra Leone Telegraph. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g "2022 Ibrahim Index of African Governance". allAfrica.com. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  23. ^ a b "2022 Ibrahim Index of African Governance Index Report" (PDF).
  24. ^ "2020 Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance". www.nation.sc (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  25. ^ a b c d "African Governance Report - knoema.com". Knoema. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  26. ^ a b c d "QoG Data". datafinder.qog.gu.se. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  27. ^ Awojobi, Oladayo (2014-09-01). "Using Ibrahim Index of African Governance in Evaluating Nigerian Democratic Governance" (PDF). International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences. 1 (1).
  28. ^ Kodabux, Adeelah (2017). "The Ibrahim Index of African Governance: grounding the selection of its conceptual indicators into theoretical frameworks". International Journal of Diplomacy and Economy. 3 (4): 359. doi:10.1504/IJDIPE.2017.088841. ISSN 2049-0887.
  29. ^ Ohamadike, Nnaemeka (2022-11-02). "Measuring political accountability in Africa using a multi-item index". The Africa Governance Papers. pp. 32–47. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  30. ^ "The Mo Ibrahim African Governance Index and Leadership Prize Revisited". www.africanprogress.net. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  31. ^ 2020 Ibrahim Index of African Governance Report. Accessed Jan 10, 2021.
[edit]
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